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Ebola is back — and the top White House official in charge of pandemics is gone

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Ebola is back — and the top White House official in charge of pandemics is gone

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In Kinshasa , Congo the minister of health has told the world about the first recorded death of The Ebola virus. The Ebola virus had another outbreak in Congo’s northwest region. Eleven others were also infected with the virus. Health Minister Oly Ilunga expressed that seven people with a hemorrhagic fever were hospitalized. He has told that four new cases have surfaced. One of those being the death. The other three are nurses who cared for those who were infected. As of April 4th a total of 34 people have been infected. Health officials suspect that there are more Ebola cases out there due to the high fatality rate. This means not to be surprised to see more Ebola cases spring up out of nowhere. Along with the great number of infected there is no reason to be extremely scared of this outbreak. Since Congo has had so many outbreaks they know how to contain it. Congo is a pretty remote city located pretty far from the bigger areas of the country.  There is little connection to Congo so this makes it easier to contain it into one place. Also there is a new promising vaccine against Ebola. But it has not yet been approved. But also you should not let your full guard down about this outbreak. It could be much larger than it seems because there may be some more small outbreaks in very remote areas. Congo may be secluded but there is also connection to markets so Ebola could travel to other areas very fast. This outbreak could go in two different directions. One being it getting contained and there is no outbreak. Or there is the second option and this outbreak could lead to the biggest Ebola infection in history. There have been a total of nine outbreaks in Congo alone.

http://tiny.cc/tk0lty

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17 year old, Corey Johnson, fatally stabbed 13 year old, Jovanni Brand, and injured two others

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17 year old, Corey Johnson, fatally stabbed 13 year old, Jovanni Brand, and injured two others

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At just 17 years old Corey Johnson decided that his faith is leading him to the path of terror. He chose to barge in on a 13 year old's birthday party and stab him to death after alleged comments offending Corey. Jovanni referred to celebrities as "Gods" which in turn offended Corey.
According to interim palm beach gardens police chief Clint Shannon, The boy had converted to Islam and was watching violent videos online. He had been on the  FBI's radar since 2017 and was allegedly going to be arrested for a threat to a foreign school.
When the stabbing was done, the suspect was found barricaded in his room in an attempt to evade the police, the 17 year old was apprehended and taken to jail. later, he was tried and found guilty for one count of first degree 🤬, and two counts of first degree attempted 🤬.
The teen was tried as an adult and will receive many years to think about his actions and reflect on his decisions.

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Islamic State 🤬 bombing kills 25 in Kabul, including at least 9 journalists

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Islamic State 🤬 bombing kills 25 in Kabul, including at least 9 journalists

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Around 8 a.m. Monday the startling sound of an explosion in the background enclosed in the Afghan City of Kabul. All of the local news photographers, reporters and TV crews are hurrying to get their supplies and get to the scene first. As they arrived at the scene in a hurry to report on it they have their guard down knowing they are in a “protected” space. They would have never thought about the events that will occur. About 20 min later another explosion is heard. This time the explosion is from inside the protected lines and is from a second 🤬 bomber who had a press pass and a cameraman, he looked as though he were there to report about the incident. It tooks place in a heavily guarded zone which houses foreign embassies and and afghan government offices.There were 25 total casualties. Nine of them were journalists that were killed during the second bombing. Also there were 45 others who were injured. This was the single most deadliest attack on the press since the overthrow of the taliban in 2001. After the bombing there was a BBC reporter who was killed in a separate attack in Khost Province. This big of a casualty count left Kabul's Press in grief. Since this was a planned attack on the press it left a great mark. Not only did it leave a mark on the government but this attack left a wound on the families of those who were killed or injured. This attack was mourned for all around the world Media groups of all around the world denounced the attack and the cruelty. The Afghan press associations were complaining that the government was not doing enough to protect them. They gave suggestions such as armed guards and flak jackets to better be prepared in the case of an attack. The Afghan press association was also angered at the fact that the intelligence service did not do enough to ensure that something like this wouldn't happen. Some time had passed and the Islamic State had posted a statement saying they use two of its martyrs had carried out the plan. This bombing took place only a little over a week after a huge attack that killed 57 people in the Afghan capital. Both the Taliban and the Islamic state had used double bombings in order to quickly increase the casualty count. Reporters around the world urged the United Nations to create a representative to protect the journalists.

http://tiny.cc/t6xlty

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Boycotters shake up Iraq’s election, which was marked by historically low turnout

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Boycotters shake up Iraq’s election, which was marked by historically low turnout

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Ever since Iraq began holding free elections voting trends were looked at through the eye of the nation’s dominant religious sects and ethnicity. But after the election held on Saturday there has been conversation on social media and the streets about a new constituency which are the boycotts. Less than 45 percent of Iraq's eligible voters showed up to vote. Many of those who chose not to vote explained that this was an act of protest not having a lack of interest. They said that it was because their displeasure in Iraq's complicated economy and the lack of confidence in seeing the same old faces that never fulfill what they say they will accomplish. Others hoped that by boycotting the election it would force a national reconciliation of Iraq’s political and social order. However Iraq’s government celebrated the election because of the absence of any terror attacks at any of the polling stations. Officials say that the low turnout was because of the enforced security that was in place. Also they say it was because it was the first time they used an electronic form of voting. Voters in Najif said that they were turned away because they had an outdated ID or the scanners could not recognize their fingerprints. The center of campaigns was about moving towards a centrist message of Iraqi nationalism over sect allegiances. Which is a departure from the persuasive sectarianism that was Iraq’s political strategy since the U.S led the invasion in 2003. This system forces candidates to join a party headlined by established figures who need name recognition to get votes. In Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi’s December declaration he announced that the Islamic state had been defeated and it sparked delirious celebrations and pronounced that Iraq was in a new era. The election was controlled by established candidates, such as Abadi and Hadi al-Ameri, head of one of Iraq’s largest militias. But along with these people they were corrupt. Many Israelis were saddened by this fact. They had wished for some “clean” candidates to vote for but instead they received some corrupt ones. Even Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani spoke about his disappointment with the candidates. He advised followers not to support any hopefuls who had failed in the past because they may have become corrupt.

http://tiny.cc/o7ulty

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    Justice Dept. leaders reluctant to bring ISIS fighters to U.S. for trial, even as prosecutors push to make a case

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    Justice Dept. leaders reluctant to bring ISIS fighters to U.S. for trial, even as prosecutors push to make a case

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After 2 Isis fighters were captured it is unsure which country will prosecute them. The two suspects Alexanda Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh were captured in Syria and sent back to Britain. They were British citizens but had their citizenships revoked after their ties to Isis were found. The men are suspected of killing and torturing 20 hostages. The men are apart of the infamous group in Isis known as The Beatles, which included the well known Jihadi John who was killed back in 2015. The Beatles consisted of 4 members and were named after the British Band for their distinguishable accents. With the capture of these men and Aine Davis in Turkey in 2017, all 4 members of The Beatles are either dead or captured. U.S prosecutors are sure they can convict the men of life sentences for their past actions.

There is a big question of who will prosecute these men. Britain feels responsibility to prosecute these men because they were British citizens. However the U.S feels the men will be in better hands with them. This is causing lots of stress for the victims families who want the men to be tried and convicted already. Jeff Sessions wants the men tried in the U.S and sent to the harsh terrorist prison Guantanamo Bay. The families do not want the men in Guantanamo because of its history of mistreatment of prisoners. There are risks of bringing the men to the U.S. If the men can’t be convicted because of lack of evidence the U.S. will have to deal with 2 known terrorists on their soil. This could also mean the U.S will try to deal with other countries terrorists when it isn’t wanted or they will look to the U.S to deal with all their terrorist problems.

https://tinyurl.com/yctuv36k

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Algerian military transport plane crashes, killing 257 people

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Algerian military transport plane crashes, killing 257 people

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An Algerian transport plane crashed Wednesday, killing 257 people. The plane crashed shortly after taking off from Algiers. The plane involved was a Russian built Ilyushin Il-76  on the way to Bechar. The plane was carrying Algerian military personnel belonging to the military group Polisario which is trying to gain independence from Morocco for the Western Sahara Region. The dead unfortunately included some family members of the soldiers on the plane. This is being regarded as one of the deadliest plane crashes in recent years especially in Algeria. 5 people near the crash site are currently getting medical attention for their injuries.

It is not sure what caused the crash of the plane. According to witnesses there were flames coming from the wing of the plane before it went down. General Gaid Salah of the Algerian army visited the crash site and has ordered an investigation into the crash. The plane split in half with the back part of the plane being left intact but the front being completely wrecked. Since the passengers belonged to the military it is possible foul play could be involved but it is unlikely. The Polisario have confirmed 30 of their soldiers died in the crash, the Polisario have declared a week of mourning for the soldiers, women, and children that were lost in the crash.

https://tinyurl.com/yafc6aug

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Salmonella sickens nearly three dozen people following recall of more than 200 million eggs

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Salmonella sickens nearly three dozen people following recall of more than 200 million eggs

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A big outbreak of Salmonella has been traced back to Rose Acre Farms. This has led to a recall of over 207 million eggs coming from their facility in North Carolina. Over 35 people have been infected up and down the East Coast. Luckily no deaths have been reported but 11 people have been hospitalized. The infected eggs were distributed to many grocery stores and restaurants including Food Lion and Waffle House. Rose Acre Farms produces about 2.3 million eggs everyday which is why their egg recall was so big. It is very important to contain the disease because of how many eggs they produce and how fast this disease could spread across the country

Rose Acre Farms is currently inspecting their facilities and to find the source of the outbreak. They are also retraining their employees to make sure their employees keep everything up to code. This isn’t the 1st time Rose Acre Farms has caused an outbreak of Salmonella. Back in 1990 a huge outbreak was traced back to their Indiana facilities which were forced to shutdown and undergo a very expensive clean up procedure using their funds. This caused the company to go bankrupt, the company sued saying the governments punishment was way too harsh. This led to a long legal battle spanning many years which eventually led to 6 million dollars going toward Rose Acre Farms. Salmonella is taken very seriously because of how fast it can spread if even one factory is infected. The symptoms include nausea, diarrhea, stomach pains, and fever among healthy individuals but young children and the elderly are at a big risk for being killed.

https://tinyurl.com/yaba7rld

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U.S. offers help in rebuilding North Korea

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U.S. offers help in rebuilding North Korea

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After a surprise visit to Pyongyang, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that the U.S. was "prepared to work with North Korea to achieve prosperity on the par with our South Korean friends." This sudden change in mood towards North Korea comes after President Moon of South Korea and Chairman Kim of North Korea had a meeting and signed a peace treaty to officially end the Korean War. North Korea has been suffering from the ill-effects of Communism ever since
the Korean war has ended and Korea was split at the 38th parallel.

Hopefully, these meetings and agreements will end the decades of tension between North Korea and seemingly the rest of the world. North Korea has been threatening nuclear annihilation on the U.S. for quite some time, and after a failure to implement sanctions by former U.S. Presidents, Donald Trump somehow managed to be the first to set up diplomatic relations
with North Korea. President Moon of South Korea said himself "this would not have been possible without the help of Donald Trump."

Although not everybody likes Donald Trump, I think we can all agree that this is a major accomplishment for President Trump, and a good accomplishment at
that.

Source: https://tinyurl.com/ybm3v6m4

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Congressional Candidate Uses Profanity Towards NRA, Gets Mocked

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Congressional Candidate Uses Profanity Towards NRA, Gets Mocked

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Pat Davis, a Congressional Candidate from New Mexico, aired a new advertisement
about his running for Congress. Davis, a Democrat, and anti-gun activist, said in his 15 second commercial, "F*** the NRA." This brewed up a storm of angry people on Twitter, almost all of which are also profane, written by either NRA members, or those who are pro-gun. At the end of his ad, Davis says "I’m Pat Davis, and I approve this message.  Because if Congress won’t change our gun laws, we’re changing Congress." He also said "[The NRA's] pro-gun policies have resulted in dead children, dead mothers, and dead fathers."

Personally, I highly disagree with Davis' platform. Plus, as I have learned through attending peaceful protests, such as the walk-outs, no one takes you seriously unless you are respectful, courteous, and have the ability to listen without immediately cursing them out. Davis makes himself look unprofessional in this ad, which, of course, makes his case for being a Congressman weaker.
The NRA has responded on Twitter, using the hashtag "#DesperateDavis," which
is another prime example of being unprofessional within the gun-control vs. 2nd Amendment debate.

Ads like these show how out-of-control these gun control and 2nd Amendment supports have gotten within their debates.

Source: https://tinyurl.com/ybv6668v

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Boy Scouts to Change Name; Allow Girls into the Program.

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Boy Scouts to Change Name; Allow Girls into the Program.

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The Boy Scouts, one of the more famous groups in America in terms of the upbringing of young children into men, will be changing it's name. After over 100 years of being called the "Boy Scouts," it will now just be called "Scouts." This is followed after ruling that girls should be allowed to join the program, which I personally support. This is giving young women opportunities that the Girl Scouts wouldn't give them, as their program is more geared towards the stereotypical gender-roles of women, such as cooking and sewing.

This change is a massive one, and not everyone is on-board with it.
For example, the Mormon Church, a partner of the Scouts, is ending it's partnership with Scouting. This may not seem like a big deal, but the Mormon
Church provides 425,000 members into the Scouting program, which is over 20%.
The Girl Scouts program is also not taking kindly to it. In a very
passive-aggressive press conference, Sylvia Acevedo, the Girl Scouts CEO said "Girl Scouts is the premier leadership development organization for girls." This comment seemed to be a shot at the Scouts, as if to say "we are what's
better."

This change, although controversial, may be the start of a new day in the Scouting program.

Source: https://tinyurl.com/ybobgu8v

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Iran Sets Fire to US Flag in Parliament 

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Iran Sets Fire to US Flag in Parliament 

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Iranian MP's set fire to US flag and chant "Death to America" in parliament, May 9, 2018. This event followed US president Donald Trump's plan to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal.

This started when President Donald Trump decided to pullout from their nuclear deal and impose new economic sanctions in Iran. Ali Larijani, Iranian parliament speaker, believes that this is an act of  isolationism for the US.

With President Trump pulling out of the Iranian Nuclear deal, EU countries strongly disagree. UK France and Germany issued a joint statement criticizing what he decided to do.

In a speech at the White House Trump announced that the Iran deal was "decaying and rotten" and "defective at its core". He also stated that the deal was a "misguided and serious mistake."
https://tinyurl.com/y9yje43h

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One day in Amsterdam car enthusiasts stepped out in a blacked out warehouse thinking they would see a new hybrid suv. Instead they were shocked by China coming out with their very first automobiles company. For the first time ever a chinese vehicle will be on the market in western nations, with the ultimate goal in mind to reach the americas. This is the plan of Chinese billionaire, Li Shufu. He has already had a big share in the car industry as the owner of Volvo cars, and owning British carmaker Lotus. Li Shufu’s goal is to make China a part of the global automobile industry, the U.S., Germany, and Japan. Li isn't the only Chinese with this mindset. 4 other Chinese car manufacturers also plan on having sales in America as soon as next year. These entrepreneurs tend to dominate the global car manufacturing game like they do with cell phones. The main problem here is there are a wide variety of cars right now that people have and China's companies are going to have to think of a way to get americans to buy Chinese cars instead of lets say, Chevy an american car company. They are going to have to build a better car overall. Many people think that this will not be the case tho since many Americans cross over between U.S vehicles and Asian ones. China will most likely fit into the category with, Toyota,  Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru, and more. China also wants to dominate the electric car industry, says Michael Dunne. Since china is well known for its new technologies people can see new chinese car to be very advanced maybe even more than some popular electric cars in the U.S. such as Tesla. China also has the number one vehicle market since 2015. Topping the united states. China is very determined and they cannot wait till the next year.

https://tinyurl.com/yalsdjc8

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There have recently been a reported incident of a death due to ebola in Congo.

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Higher temperatures, forest fires, and rising ocean temperatures and without a doubt proof of chain reactions in the climate change in California. The California Environmental Protection Agency released a report that states there are as many as 36 signs of climate change. These climate changes could very much effect Humans, and and wildlife. Many bodies of water could be impacted such as, oceans, lakes, rivers, and even mountains. Studies from scientists, and greenhouse gas emissions have shown a whopping, 90 percent decline in black carbon from tailpipe emissions over the past 50 years. In a report from, “The indicators of climate change”, shows a great change in temperatures since 1895. Since 1980 the warmest year in california was in 2014, and was followed closely by the years after. The temperatures during the night have went up by about 2.3 degree. Although these temperatures are not drastically changing it is still a major concern for the future generations to come. Another major issue has been the heat waves. Heat waves combined with droughts have had a devastating impact on the ecosystem. During one of the most severe droughts then state has face from 2012 to 2016 about 129 million trees were killed, due to lack of water, infestation of beetles, and scorching temperatures. The melting of snow has been decreasing by almost 10 percent since 1906. Another chilling fact is that some of the massive glaciers in the Sierra Mountains have shrunken about 70 percent. Lake Tahoe’s water temperature has also risen by 1 percent since 1970 and sources say the warming has been about 10 times faster of the past couple years. In the waters of the bay area such as San Francisco the sea level has gained 7 inches since 1924, and oxygen in the water has also decreased. All of these climate changes are terrible not to mention the wildfires. California has seen it’s most devastating wildfires in history since 1950. In 2017 the most disastrous one of all sparked which led to the death of 45 people, and destroyed close to 9,000 homes. In the future there will be more wildfires and more homes will be in danger of being destroyed this will result in higher homeowners insurance. The Senator signed a bill that will reduce emissions an additional 40 percent by 2030 the state of california expects to drop the levels that were seen in 1990 by the next two years. California has been driving the nation to achieve ways to use as clean energy as possible.

https://tinyurl.com/ya8yq5gy

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Gaza is a small is a palestinian territory off the border of Egypt. Gaza has a population of roughly 2 million people. Today from the people that live in Gaza it is described the world’s largest,”Open-Air prison”. The Palestinian in Gaza are blocked from entering any other monitored Palestinian area as well as from the rest of the world. Most of the civilians in Gaza are refugees, many were forced to leave their homes due to war and brutality. There are still many who don’t have homes. The children in Gaza have been severely traumatized by the war and being occupied. This has led to over 300,000 kids needing psychological attention. Majority of the schools in Gaza have to run up to triple shifts do to lack of education, but most times there is electrical problems which results in the young to halt studying. According to the UNRWA, funding for these schools from the United States has cut down. This will decrease the sufficient amount of diesel schools will need to run, unless other countries contribute to make a difference this will result in upwards 275 schools to be shut down. Already having a lack of education in this state this will heavily impact the future of the children. Not only is education a very big problem, but Gaza has the highest unemployment rate than any other country in the world at 42 percent within the adult population. From people in the ages 15 to 29 the unemployment is high as 62 percent. More than 80 percent of the population of Gaza need humanitarian services to survive. That is about 1.6 million people, the UN predict that by 2020 there will be up to 2 million people that will need humanitarian aid. From the population 4 out of every 10 families are in need of food supply, and due to the large cuts in funding due to the UN refugee organization this will leave many families foodless. Worst of all almost all of the groundwater in Gaza is contaminated and undrinkable. This is due to the dropping of 90 million layers of garbage/sewage is drained into the waterways of Gaza every day, such as beaches. 35 percent of land cannot be used for any agricultural purposes, and the fisherman are cut off from almost all the waters on the coast because of Israeli officials. The children have the hardest time surviving with 7 percent who have stunted growth to due lack of accurate nutrition, and 60 percent struggle with anemia. Not to mention that almost half the population in gaza are not allowed to seek medical attention anywhere outside of Gaza. Many die waiting to get help, and those who don’t are declined.

https://tinyurl.com/ybytx2h7

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Seven Dead in Australia Making it the Worst Shooting Since 1996

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Seven Dead in Australia Making it the Worst Shooting Since 1996

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On early Friday morning, the police was called to a house in Osmington. Four adults and three children were found dead but their bodies have not been publicly identified yet. This is now the worst shooting to occur since the last 20 years. Australia's gun laws are significantly stricter than America's but this incident has made them want to make them stricter.
The gun laws in Australia have done a good job preventing mass shootings compared to other countries. It is good that they want to improve their laws after this because it shows how they care for their country. Mass shootings have become such a frequent event any action to prevent them from happening any further is good.

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PERTH, Australia - Seven people, including four children, were found dead from gunshot wounds at a rural property in Western Australia on Friday, the police said, in what appeared to be the country's worst mass shooting in more than 20 years.

The police were called just after 5 a.m. on Friday to the home of Cynda and Peter Miles in Osmington, a village near the tourist town of Margaret River, 170 miles south of Perth. There they discovered the victims, four adults and three children.

Crime-scene and homicide detectives traveled from Perth to investigate.

South West Superintendent Mick Sutherland, the most senior police officer in the region, said on Friday that the property was a crime scene "and we've got to figure out what happened." He said the police expected to be on the site for up to five days.

The police have yet to publicly identify the victims or the gunman, who is presumed to be among them.

"The loss of any life is tragic, but the loss of four children and three adults - this is a significant tragedy," Chris Dawson, commissioner of the Western Australia Police, said at a news conference. "Police are currently responding to what I can only describe as a horrific incident."

The deaths represent the worst mass shooting in Australia since 1996, when a gunman killed 35 people in Port Arthur, Tasmania. That event was the catalyst for a significant strengthening of the country's gun laws.

American proponents of gun control, including former President Barack Obama, often point to Australia's strict regulations and few mass shootings as a guide to limiting such events in the United States. Experts typically define a mass shooting as the deaths of four people, excluding the gunman, in a single event.

Australia's previous worst shooting since 1996 took place in 2014, when a farmer shot his wife and three children before killing himself.

According to neighbors and public records, Cynda Miles worked for a local community group. Her daughter Katrina Miles, and her four children, ages 8 to 13, lived on the property. The children were all home-schooled there.

The police said they would identify victims only after next of kin had been notified.

Osmington has a population of just 135 and mostly consists of farming properties and vineyards. It is about 12 miles northeast of Margaret River, a popular tourist destination known for its wineries, surfing and natural beauty.

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7 Dead in Australia's Worst Mass Shooting Since 1996

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PERTH, Australia - Seven people, including four children, were found dead from gunshot wounds at a rural property in Western Australia on Friday, the police said, in what appeared to be the country's worst mass shooting in more than 20 years. The police were called just after 5 a.m.

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Within 2018 alone, 10 buses have gone up in flames in Rome, Italy, the most recent of which occured only this past Tuesday. These two incidents, one taking place on a busy street flanked by shops, the other in the suburbs, mark the 9th and 10th buses respectively to fall victim to epidemic of fires. Roman passenger bus to go up in flames this year, the first of which exploded.
Clearly, this is an abnormally high amount of vehicles combusting in the Rome area.

Terrorism is not currently a concern. Rather, Roman citizens and authorities point their fingers at ATAC, Rome's department of transportation. ATAC has released a statement blaming the twin fires, the 8 predating them this year, and the further 22 in 2017, on mechanical issues and an aging fleet of buses, mentioning last year as being down from previous years.

Luckily, in both instances of passenger buses going up in flames, both drivers and passengers made it out unscathed. However, a woman working in a shop near one of these twin fires was burned and hospitalized for shock in the chaos.

ATAC has been prompted to replace their fleet, the current of which was deployed in 2003. They insist they are increasing fire-prevention methods. However, ATAC and Mayor Virginia Raggi have been facing widespread scrutiny on social media.

Source: https://tinyurl.com/y9a8z9ve

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The United States has imposed new sanctions upon 3 people and 6 corporations they claim have ties to Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC). According to Steven Mnuchin, Treasury Secretary, this is a move to target persons who have funneled millions into the IRGC, enabling their, in the words of Mnuchin, "malign activity." No names were dropped and no fingers pointed, but the Treasury has disclosed that all 3 individuals and corporations were of Iranian origin. These sanctions were accompanied by accusations of Iran's Central Bank of also aiding the IRCG in procuring American money.

These sanctions, done in collusion with the United Arab Emirates, prohibit any US or UAE individuals or businesses from doing business with the embargoed individuals and corporations.

The IRCG, founded in 1979, was founded to defend Iran's Islamic system, and is a major economic, political, and military force in Iran. These sanctions are meant specifically to block their foreign arm of influence, the Quds Force. Donald Trump has openly condemned the group as a "corrupt terror force and militia."  The Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has called this decision, as well as Trump's decision to abandon the Obama-led Nuclear Deal with Iran, a "mistake."

Source: https://tinyurl.com/yaoov2pf

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As a student with Japanese as my foreign language credit, cultural customs and proper behavior is a topic I often have to learn, so as not to offend the Japanese people, who follow strict customs of respect and behavior relating to one's relationship to the speaker. I heard it best put by a substitute teacher from Kyushu, filling in while my regular teacher was visiting family back in Hakodate. "Girls and women should usually behave like it's America in the 1950s." She said, with a sheepish smile, before turning around and resuming her lesson on the difference of conjugations of  です and でした.

This comment, innocent enough, stayed present in my mind. Japan has been slow to kick notions of xenophobia, racism, and sexism from their society, being notably wary of "Gaijin," or foreigners. We were told to be prepared as a mostly white class to, in the setting of Japan, be expected to speak little to no Japanese. However, sexist notions seem to have reached a new high in the government of Japan, as Kanji Kato, an MP from Japan's governing party, has made a statement that single women are "a burden on the state," amid declining birth rates.

The issue of declining birth rates IS present in Japan, hitting their lowest since 1899 this year. Most young adults find themselves too busy with career pursuits and elect not to have children. In 2007, Japanese health minister Hakuo Yanagasiwa, described women as "birth giving machines" and declared having children to be their public duty. However, this by no means lessens the backlash faced by Kato, 72, amid his urging women to have at least 3 or more children in their lifetimes, lest they further burden their country, suggesting it to be their primary function in life. He's been written off as sexist by most and has been facing a distinct drop in popularity.

Initially, Kato stood by his claims. However his office has since released a statement retracting his comments and stating he meant no disrespect to women.

Source: https://tinyurl.com/y9n5ht5b

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Toronto van attack: right wingers point to Islamist terror before police cite motive

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Toronto van attack: right wingers point to Islamist terror before police cite motive

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A predator in a van attacked and killed 10 people in Toronto. Even before the case investigation started, many right wing commentators were rushing to depict the attack as Islamic terrorism.

Only a few moments after the attack commentators and provocateurs started to tweet and post about the attack presuming the attacker was middle eastern.

Ibrahim Hooper, a national communications director  said that these types of right wing coverage had become a routine. Basically, whenever there’s a type of incident like this the Muslim community haters try to pin everything on the Muslims saying how they are responsible for the actions that have that have occurred even before the facts have been collected, evidence of the extremists activity have been found, or investigation of the area.

There still is no evidence of any motivation of the attack by the suspect alek Minassian. He doesn’t have any strong affiliation with religion but the right wing commentators didn't care, they still claimed that the attacker had been carried out by Islamist. Slowly as it had become clearer the the attacker was not an Islamist and may have been a misogynist, the commentators began to stand by there naive statements and ideas or change up their motives and create conspiracy theories.

The right wings peddlers where proven to be wrong. These commentators usually focus on just collecting this information to for their own benefit and then display their own version of the incident which tends to be false. They then focus towards uneducated individuals.

https://tinyurl.com/yaz8cw2h

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A slight Change in Poverty for the Philippines

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A slight Change in Poverty for the Philippines

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Poverty has been a worldwide problem for years, the Philippines have suffered a great deal of this issue more frequently than others.Therefore, the country has finally made a change for the better. A nationwide survey was taken and positive information was released One out of three Filipino families escaped poverty during the first quarter of 2018, which doesn’t seem like much comparing to other countries. But this is a big achievement for their people. The SWS (Social Weather Stations) poll helped discover that 30% of Filipino families (18% whom were considered “non-poor” and 12% “newly non-poor” managed to escape poverty. But on the contrary, that exact survey discovered that 12% of Filipino families (about one out of eight families) fell into poverty. All in all the poll later found that 58% of the families are now “Self-Rated Non-Poor”, while 42% are now “Self-Rated Poor”. This survey was an in person interview with 1,200 adults nationwide.

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A nationwide survey has revealed that one out of three Filipino families escaped poverty during the first quarter of 2018.

The Social Weather Stations (SWS) poll, conducted from March 23 to 27, found that 30% of Filipino families-18% of whom were "usually non-poor" and 12% "newly non-poor"-have escaped poverty.

On the other hand, the same survey found that 12% of Filipino families-about one out of eight families -had fallen into poverty.

"The 30% who transitioned out of poverty consists of 18% who used to be poor five or more years ago ("usually non-poor"), and 12% who used to be poor 1-4 years ago ("newly non-poor"). This is 2 points lower than the record-high 14% newly non-poor recorded in December 2017," the SWS said in a media release.

In total, the SWS poll found that 58% of Filipino families were now "Self-Rated Non-Poor" while 42% were now "Self-Rated Poor."

The SWS conducted the survey using face-to-face interviews with 1,200 adults, aged 18 years old and above, nationwide. The poll has a margin of error of ±3 percent nationwide, ±4 percent for Luzon, and ±6 percent each for Metro Manila, Visayas and Mindanao. /jpv
RELATED STORY SWS survey says more families 'transitioned out of poverty' in 2017
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SWS: 1 in 3 Filipino families escaped poverty in Q1 of 2018

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A nationwide survey has revealed that one out of three Filipino families escaped poverty during the first quarter of 2018. The Social Weather Stations (SWS) poll, conducted from March 23 to 27, found that 30% of Filipino families-18% of whom were "usually non-poor" and 12% "newly non-poor"-have escaped poverty.

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North Korea frees 3 Americans before Trump-Kim summit

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North Korea frees 3 Americans before Trump-Kim summit

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In Pyongyang, North Korea, in a gesture that appeared to set the stage for a landmark summit between President Trump and Kin Jong Un, North Korea released three American prisoners into the custody of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during his visit there Wednesday.

Trump made us aware the morning of May 9th as Pompeo flew the three men out of Pyongyang on his government plane, saying they were in good health and he planned to meet them upon their arrival early Thursday at Joint Base Andres outside Washington.

Trumps tweet: https://tinyurl.com/yd2oq6sw

The dramatic disclosure capped a 13-hour visit by Pompeo to the North Korean capital, during which he met with several of the top officials, including Chairman Kim for 90 minutes, and then finalized a time and location for the leaders’ summit, which is expected late June.

Though White House officials did not disclose details about the summit, Trump told reporters the summit would not be held in the demilitarized zone between NK and SK – where Kim and Moon Jae-in held their emotional meeting two weeks ago.  That left Singapore, which Trump said is also under consideration, as the most likely site.

Trump had not made the freeing of the threee Americans, a prerequisite for the summit, but the move was viewed in Washington as necessary trust-building measure ahead of the hard knuckle negotiations over nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs in North Korea.

The three freed Americans made this statement “ We would like to express our deep appreciation to the US government, President Trump, Secretary Pompeo, and the people of the United States for bringing us home, We thank God, and all of our families and friends who prayed for us and our return. God Bless America, the greatest nation in the world.”

The president had harshly criticized the Kim regime over human rights violations, repeatedly raising it’s treatment of American college student Otto Warmbier, who died last summer days after being released in a coma from 17 months of captivity. The release of the other three Americans, who were examined by a physician traveling with Pompeo and reportedly boarded the plane without assistance, allowed Trump to claim a victory in his audacious diplomatic gambit.

They continued to talk about peace between the two countries of North Korea and America. As well as the good environment from the South Korean and North Korean peace and emotional unity attributed to such a great change in behavior from both the US and NK.

https://tinyurl.com/ya7s7447

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In Perth, Australia the deadliest mass shooting since 1996. 4 adults and 3 children were found dead in a rural town called osmington. There are no current suspects but the police are still investing whether it is a 🤬 or a 🤬. The children are also on the autism spectrum. The previous deadly shootings in Australia was in in 1996 when a farmer

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These four commandos took foot in under heavy gunfire near a border looking for their lost comrades. One is shot in the elbow behind the wheel yet continues to drive. The driver turns the vehicle around and goes back to pick up his team leader after he is shot and thrown from his truck.  Militants loyal to the Islamic State close in.  The pentagon released a report into the Oct 4. Ambush that killed four American soldiers. Their interpreter and four Nigerian soldiers is short on details about how under-equipped the team of American commandos came to hunt the leader of an Islamic State affiliate. Despite that the executive summary and a video animation of the ambush show heroic efforts among the soldiers to save one another, some of them fighting to the end.

The ambush began at 11:40 am, just after the convoy of eight American and Nigerian vehicles left Tongo Tongo. More than five hours later, after two French Mirage aircraft made low, lifesaving passes to keep the militants from swarming the Americans and Nigerians, the surviving members of the team were evacuated.  Between those two times, the soldiers scrambled to administer aid and find a way to stay alive in a battle against them.

Video footage seized by militants from the helmet camera of Staff Sergeant Jeremiah W. Johnson, one of the ones killed had already made clear that he and Staff Sergeant Dustin M. Wright stopped and tried to assist a fallen teammate, Bryan C. Black, when they were overrun by fighters after having been separated from the rest of the group.

Sergeant Black was killed instantly, and the other two soldiers were forced to flee, leaving him before Johnson also went down. Sergeant Wright, the last to fall, stopped running and tried to delay the advancing fighters away from his comrade, Johnson before being killed himself.

But what had not been previously evident was what happened to the rest of the Army Special Forces team called Operational Detachment-Alpha Team 3312. The pentagon animation, based on battlefield evidence and eyewitness accounts showed the remaining soldiers caught in a fight they had not expected.

After the ambush began, the convoy stopped and returned fire, Capt. Michael Perozeni, and a group of Nigerian soldiers tried to flank the attacking fighters. The maneuver failed, and was massed and counterattacked, and Captain Perozeni discovered there were far more fighters than initially thought. And so he ordered the entire convoy to fall back and they retreated using smoke grenades to hide their withdrawal.  Five of the vehicles made it out of the IZA (Immediate zone of attack), but the utility vehicle carrying the Sergeants, Johnson, Black, and Wright did not make it out. Two Nigerian trucks stayed as they were immobilized, and the three Americans were killed around noon.

The remainder of the convoy pushed nearly a half a mile south but came to a halt as it became clear that more than a quarter of team 3212 was missing. Two American commandos volunteered to go back on foot and look for them, and headed back to the thick of the ambush side where they shot and killed several militants. The rest of the team remained behind and fired back at the advancing fighters, two more American commandos then left the group on foot and headed back toward the ambush site to help in the search.

The militants continued to surge forward, and for the second time Captain Perozeni had to order the remnants of his team to fall back. Only two American Vehicles left, and the Nigerian ones immobilized. Perozeni jumped into the bed of a truck driven by Sergeant First Class Brent Bartels who drove around in a circle sweeping up Nigerian troops. Then, believing that the second American vehicle was behind him, accelerated hard to the north.

But it wasn’t, Sgt. La David T. Johnson, an Army mechanic by trade and driver of the second American truck, had been pinned by heavy fire and wasn’t able to get back into the driver’s seat. The sergeant and two Nigerian soldiers ran west, and the two Nigerians were shot and killed within 1000 feet.

Sergeant Johnson kept running, for almost a quarter-mile, before taking cover under the lone thorny tree in the scrub. He kept firing his weapon until the advancing militants surrounded him and killed him.

The other American vehicle was heading North, still under fire. Five of the seven people in the truck were shot, and Captain Perozeni was thrown from the bed of the truck. Bartels, wounded, turned around and went back for him and then continued north until the truck got stuck in a swamp.

The group radioed for help, saying it was about to be overrun. The call was the second the soldiers made, after initially reporting that they were “troops in contact”. A phrase, rare for that part of the world, means that a unit was in an extensive gun battle. The four American commandos from earlier who went looking for their comrades rejoined the group and abandoned the stuck truck, running into the tree line.

The combined group established a final defensive position, where they were prepared to make their last stand.

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WASHINGTON - Four American commandos take off on foot, under heavy gunfire, to look for missing teammates in the borderland of Niger. Another is shot in the elbow behind the wheel of a vehicle yet continues to drive. That driver, after his team leader is shot and thrown from his truck, turns the vehicle around and goes back to pick him up as militants loyal to the Islamic State close in.

The Pentagon's release on Thursday of a report into the Oct. 4 ambush in Niger that killed four American soldiers, their interpreter and four Nigerien soldiers is short on details about how the underequipped team of American commandos came to be sent to hunt the leader of an Islamic State affiliate. But the executive summary and a video animation of the ambush show heroic efforts among the soldiers to save one another, some of them fighting to the end.

The pitched battle began at 11:40 a.m., just after the convoy of eight American and Nigerien vehicles left the village of Tongo Tongo. More than five hours later, after two French Mirage aircraft made low, lifesaving passes to keep the militants from swarming the Americans and Nigeriens, the surviving members of the team were evacuated.

Between those bookends, the soldiers scrambled to administer aid and find a way to stay alive in a one-sided battle.

Video footage seized by militants from the helmet camera of Staff Sgt. Jeremiah W. Johnson, one of those killed, had already made clear that he and Staff Sgt. Dustin M. Wright stopped and tried to assist a fallen teammate, Staff Sgt. Bryan C. Black, when the three were overrun by fighters after having been separated from the rest of the group.

Sergeant Black was killed instantly, and the other two soldiers were forced to flee, before Sergeant Johnson also went down. Sergeant Wright, the last to fall, stopped running, turned around and tried to keep the advancing fighters away from Sergeant Johnson before being killed himself.

But what had not been previously evident was what happened to the rest of the Army Special Forces team, called Operational Detachment-Alpha Team 3212. The Pentagon animation, based on battlefield evidence and eyewitness accounts, showed the remaining soldiers, caught in a fight they had not expected.

After the ambush began, the convoy stopped and returned fire. The team's leader, Capt. Michael Perozeni, and a group of Nigerien soldiers, all on foot, tried to flank the attacking fighters.

The maneuver - a common tactic for a small unit caught in a close-range ambush - failed as the militants massed and counterattacked. Captain Perozeni discovered that there were far more fighters than initially thought, and he and the Nigerien soldiers ran back to the convoy. He ordered the entire convoy to fall back.

Smoke grenades were thrown to hide their withdrawal, and five of the vehicles made it out of the immediate zone of attack. But the black utility vehicle carrying Sergeant Wright, Sergeant Johnson and Sergeant Black did not make it out. Two Nigerien trucks also stayed, immobilized. The three Americans were killed around noon.

The five-vehicle remnant of the convoy pushed nearly half a mile south but came to a halt as it became clear that more than a quarter of Team 3212 was missing. Two American commandos volunteered to go back on foot and look for them, heading into the thick of the ambush site, where they shot and killed several militants.

The rest of the team remained behind, continuing to fire back at the advancing fighters. Two more American commandos then left that group on foot and headed back toward the ambush site to help in the search.

The militants continued to surge forward. For the second time, Captain Perozeni ordered the remnants of his team to fall back. Only two American vehicles were left; the Nigerien ones were immobilized. Captain Perozeni jumped into the bed of a truck driven by Sgt. First Class Brent Bartels, who drove around in a circle sweeping up Nigerien troops. Then, believing that the second American vehicle was behind him, he accelerated hard to the north.

But Sgt. La David T. Johnson, an Army mechanic by trade and the driver of the second American truck, had been pinned down by heavy fire and was unable to get back into the driver's seat. He and two Nigerien soldiers ran west. The two Nigeriens were shot and killed within 1,000 feet.

Sergeant Johnson kept running, for almost a quarter-mile, before taking cover under the lone thorny tree in the scrub. He kept firing his weapon until the advancing militants surrounded and killed him.

The other American vehicle was heading north, still under fire. Five of the seven people aboard were shot. Captain Perozeni was thrown from the bed of the truck; Sergeant Bartels, wounded, turned around and went back to get him, then continued north until the truck got stuck in a swamp.

The group radioed for help, saying it was about to be overrun. The call was the second the soldiers made, after initially reporting that they were "troops in contact." That phrase, rare for that part of the world, means in military parlance that a unit was involved in an extensive gun battle.

The four American commandos who had gone on foot to look for the missing team members rejoined the group, and they abandoned the stuck truck, running into the tree line.

"The combined group established a final defensive position," the executive summary says, "where they prepared to make their last stand."

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In Niger Ambush, Rushing Into the Gunfire to Save the Fallen

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WASHINGTON - Four American commandos take off on foot, under heavy gunfire, to look for missing teammates in the borderland of Niger. Another is shot in the elbow behind the wheel of a vehicle yet continues to drive.

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Black Yale student falls asleep in lobby, another student calls the police.

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Black Yale student falls asleep in lobby, another student calls the police.

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On May 8th, 2018, Black Yale student Lolade Siyonbola fell asleep in the lobby of her dorm. Another student, Sarah Braasch, a white female, called the police on her saying that the lobby is not a sleeping area. Siyonbola is a first year in African studies. She had been writing a paper when she decided to go to sleep, and turned off the lights in the lobby. Braasch was also recently going to try to "criticize" black lives matter, a movement for civil rights in the 21st century for blacks. After being woken up and told by Braasch that she was calling the police, she moved on to Braasch's room and questioned her on tape. Braasch reportedly took a photo of Siyonbola which Ms. Siyonbola taunted " Continue, get my good side." Instead of continuting the situation, Braasch decided to close her door shut and wait for the police to arrive. Ms. Siyonbola also recorded the police and questioned them as well as claiming that she was harassed by said police in which a supervisor retorted "Every time there is an interaction with the police does not mean there's harassment" and then they bid her good night to which to retorted once more: "You have a good night." and that "I'm not going to have a good night after this." After this event occurred, Ms. Braasch, a graduate philosophy student has shutdown all her social media accounts or set them to private.

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Normally when people think of Africa, they envision a poor, poverty stricken country that isn’t as developed as the rest of the world, due to the colonization by the Europeans in the late 1800s to early 1900s. However, as of 2018, Ethiopia is confirmed to be Africa’s fastest growing economy with a 8.5% increase. Shockingly, the United States is predicted to grow 2.7%, Europe 2.4% and Japan with 1.2%. Ethiopia has finally increased their industrial movement, which benefited them immensely. After lagging behind for countless years, Ethiopia has gained traction and is increasing at a steady rate by trading with China, it’s biggest foreign investor. Someday soon, Ethiopia will no longer trail behind First-World countries, but rather side by side.

After watching a history documentary called Roots(2016) on the History Channel about Kunta Kinte, I realized just how appalling Africans were treated during the late 1800s. It seemed to me that since Africa was in need of economic stability and some Africans had sold their own people to live egregious lives in the ‘New World’. Kunta Kinte was one of the many African slaves that were forcefully taken from their homes to work on the fields. Knowing that Ethiopia, an African country, will soon be able to be equal to most First-World countries, is very astonishing and awe inspiring to see Africa taking a step forward.

https://tinyurl.com/y85te88r

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Ethiopia has an image problem. For decades, mere mention of the country has conjured up images of famine and conflict.

But a new Ethiopia is emerging from troubled times and the latest International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecast says Ethiopia will be the fastest-growing economy in sub-Saharan Africa in 2018.

The IMF World Economic Outlook predicts 8.5% growth in 2018, far outstripping that of advanced economies.

The United States growth is expected to hit 2.9% in 2018, while Europe's predicted growth is 2.4% and Japan's is 1.2%.

Global growth is expected to tick up to 3.9% this year and next.

WHAT'S DRIVING GROWTH?
Ethiopia's rise has been largely driven by an increase in industrial activity, including investments in infrastructure and manufacturing.

Follow the Blue Nile for 500km north from Addis Ababa and you'll find Ethiopia's standout infrastructure project.

The Grand Renaissance Dam will be the largest dam on the African continent.

When complete, the dam will span 1,800 metres. Standing 155 metres high, it will house two power stations with a combined output of 15,000 GWh per year.

Ethiopia has also invested in a light rail system, the first of its kind in the region.
FOREIGN INVESTMENTS
Much of the investment in Ethiopia has come from overseas. According to the IMF, foreign direct investment growth was 27.6% in 2016/17, with investments going into new industrial parks and privatisation inflows. Ethiopia has been selling its state-owned businesses to outside investors like China.

China has become not only Ethiopia's biggest foreign investor but also its largest trading partner. Ethiopia has also encouraged foreign investment in its manufacturing industry, hoping to compete with India and China with its cheap labour costs. Fashion brands like H&M, Guess, J Crew, and Naturalizer have already established manufacturing centres there.

A recent research paper suggests Ethiopia can be the new China, because it has been improving its road and rail connections, and has good air connections. In addition, the report's authors say that Ethiopia has a stable administration that sees manufacturing as a central part of its growth strategy.

But recent announcements by the new president, saying that the country is not ready for foreign investment in telecoms and banking, has disappointed businesses, who had hoped for a more open approach.
DROUGHT AND CIVIL UNREST

Ethiopia's efforts to focus more on industry than agriculture have not been without problems.

Some of the reforms have led to civil unrest. For instance, opposition to an urban development plan for the capital Addis Ababa sparked public demonstrations against political restrictions, land grabs and human rights abuses.

Earlier this year, Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn announced his shock resignation, saying he hoped it would leave the government able to carry out reforms that would lead to sustainable peace and democracy.

Parts of the country have also been crippled by drought, which left millions needing help. In April 2017, the number of people in need of emergency food aid had increased to more than 7.7 million.

However, according to the IMF, government action reduced the impact of the drought on the economy.

"Government interventions to mitigate the social impact of the drought, in collaboration with development partners, were timely and effective, thus limiting its human cost," they said.

Over the medium term, growth in Ethiopia is expected to remain around 8%, supported by sustained expansion in exports and investment.

Ethiopia's image problem is slowly receding. With sustained economic growth at levels predicted by the IMF, the wider world will have to reappraise its view of a nation that's blazing a trail for economic development on the African continent.
Written by Alex Gray, Formative Content.
This article was republished courtesy of the World Economic Forum.

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Ethiopia is Africa's fastest-growing economy

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Ethiopia has an image problem. For decades, mere mention of the country has conjured up images of famine and conflict. But a new Ethiopia is emerging from troubled times and the latest International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecast says Ethiopia will be the fastest-growing economy in sub-Saharan Africa in 2018.

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Unemployment Hits Lowest Level Since 2000

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Unemployment Hits Lowest Level Since 2000

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For the first time in nearly two decades, the unemployment rate has dropped beneath 4 percent! After producing more than 164,000 more jobs the U.S. successfully managed to lower the unemployment rates, sitting at only 3.9%, the lowest it’s been since December of 2000! As a result, the average hourly earnings also raised up to a gain of 2.6 percent over the year. Hopefully as time goes by, we’ll be able to drop down to 3%, maybe even lower though it seems impossible. Although there are generally many positive reactions towards unemployment rates dropping, when accompanied with labor force participation rates also dropping, it has caused slight disappointment among economists. Nevertheless, it is a major accomplishment to have dropped the unemployment rates down to 3.9%.

https://tinyurl.com/y8dkm4ck

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Unemployment Hits Lowest Level Since 2000

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Unemployment Hits Lowest Level Since 2000

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Using only mouse cells other than sperm and eggs, Dutch scientists have built “synthetic” embryos in their laboratory with the pure intention of understanding why many pregnancies fail at an early stage. Dr Nicolas Rivon, from the Merlin Institute of Maastricht University, and his team mixed two types of stem cells from mice in order to make the embryo-like structure. The embryos were then attached to the womb lining of live female mice where they grew for a few days before further examination of the development. Unlike before, the researchers were able to observe it implant in mice! Although we can now generate as many embryos as we want for the use of our studies, infertility among women everywhere still remains a puzzle. There are no plans of repeating the results using human stem cells as of now, but perhaps in the future we will fully understand the mystery behind pregnancy failures. With the new development of synthetic embryos I truly believe that in the future, we’ll be able to entirely understand the reasoning behind pregnancy failures at early stages, and perhaps even better, prevent such from happening!

https://tinyurl.com/yasy6ylx

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ISIS Claims Responsibility As Kabul 🤬 Bombings 🤬 at Least 25

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ISIS Claims Responsibility As Kabul 🤬 Bombings 🤬 at Least 25

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On Monday April 30th,
25 people were killed after two Islamic State 🤬 bombers struck the capital of Afghanistan, and just hours later a 🤬 car bomb was set off near a religious school in the southern Kandahar province taking the lives of 11 more children, as if 25 people wasn’t already enough. In a post online media, the Islamic State group stated that they are responsible for the Kabul bombings and targeting the Afghan intelligence headquarters. It is believed that the first 🤬 bomber was on a motorbike meanwhile the second 🤬 bomber was on foot. Just when things couldn’t get worse, as others rushed to the victims in attempt to help, the second 🤬 bomber made his way to the crowd of reporters, hiding behind the facade of someone who wanted to assist in helping before detonating. This has been the deadliest attack targeting reporters specifically ever since the Taliban was overthrown by the U.S.. Everyday loved ones and the innocent are being taken away by such destruction, yet the government takes no responsibility. Families in war-ravaged countries are helpless if no further action is taken to help and prevent such from happening. How many more innocent lives will be taken before these bombings occur less often? It is truly a tragedy that lives are being taken everyday, though not much is done to help. A little help for war-ravaged countries would not 🤬 us; a little help is a lot for some.

https://tinyurl.com/yb6d5p34

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North and South Korea Set Bold Goals: A Final Peace and No Nuclear Arms.

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North and South Korea Set Bold Goals: A Final Peace and No Nuclear Arms.

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On April 27th 2018, South and North Korea had came one step closer to become united again. This was declared as an official end to the Korean War, which ravaged the peninsula from 1950-1953. It was the 1st time the North Korean leader had set a foot on the South Korea. The North Korea even declared to be a nuclear-free peninsula. This was a very unpredictable because less than few months ago, North Korea shook the world with threats of nuclear wars. United Stated president, Mr. Trump stated that he was very proud of what was done and said North Korea wasn’t playing. Overall, all Korean citizens were hoping for peace and united country for over 50 years. Korea is the only country in this world that is divided into 2 different countries. This event led one step closer to be united.
https://tinyurl.com/ya8zrxfl

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Trump says he will meet North Korea's Kim Jong Un on June 12 in Singapore.

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Trump says he will meet North Korea's Kim Jong Un on June 12 in Singapore.

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President Mr. Trump announced that he would meet Kim Jong Un in Singapore in June 12. The goal of this summit was to convince North Korea to give up his nuclear weapon program. In the beginning, Mr. Trump announced to meet Mr. Kim in North Korea, which was a communist state. But, he changed the location to Singapore because the place was better suited for them and the North Korean’s. People stated that it was highly unlikely that North Korea will actually give up on their nuclear weapons. The meeting was set upped when Trump accept Kim’s invitation in March 8.  Trump said that he would try to convince other nation to cut off economic aid to North Korea. He also stated that  “A lot things can happen, it can be bad or good”.
https://tinyurl.com/y9xr2z47

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On May 8th, a black female postgraduate student at Yale University named, Lolade Siyonbola was questioned by the police officers. A white female student reported her for napping on the sofa in the common room. Lolade explains that she took a nap because she was exhausted from a paper she had to work on. As she was getting questioned by officers she thought, 'why am I being detained? Why am I being harassed?  Napping on a sofa in the shared room was a common thing that was done. She was questioned for 15 minutes before verifying that she did live at that dorm.  She concluded by saying white people uses police as a weapon. Then, the Yale dean said more work was needed to make the school 'truly inclusive.
https://tinyurl.com/y7hozmdu

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Loss of Habitats Resulting in Many Endangered Species

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Loss of Habitats Resulting in Many Endangered Species

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Due to the human civilization expanding at an accelerated speed, it results in many of our beloved animals to become endangered. Their homes are being destroyed each day in order for man made structures to be built to benefit our lives. Studies by International Union for Conservation of Nature show that there approximately 16,306 living species-both plants and animals-on the verge of extinction as of 2018.

The Sri Lankan elephants, the largest Asian subspecies, have been targeted by many poachers throughout the years as they sell their ivory tusks for a hefty reward. A study conducted by World Wildlife Fund say that their population has decreased significantly by 65% between the 19th century and the modern era. Fortunately, the Sri Lankan government has intervened with the poachers attempts in harming the elephants by prohibiting them from inflicting any more damage. In attempts to save the Sri Lankan elephants, the government announced that any hunting is forbidden and will receive a death penalty.

It is truly devastating to see such adorable animals such as the Red Pandas, and the Galapagos Penguins to be on the endangered list. Despite the fact that some species are declining at a drastic rate, I believe that in the future, we will find a way to save the wildlife creatures so that they can live happily. With hard work and determination, we can restore the habitats that have been destroyed.

https://tinyurl.com/ycjc58pz

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These Adorable Photos of Endangered Species Will Make You Want to Save Them All

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Our animal kingdom is in crisis-here, find pictures of and learn more about 10 of the most endangered animal species on earth.

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Siri Could Leak Your Personal Information

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Siri Could Leak Your Personal Information

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Digital assistance on your phones propose a serious risk to your security. Researchers from China and the U.S. have discovered ways to access personal information through personal phone assistances while your phone is locked. This is a huge security risk because it is only a matter of time before hackers find ways to access your personal information. Research has found that unspoken commands can be given to the phone assistants through music as well as unspoken digital commands. This allows the individual hacking ones phone to gain access to everything from bank account information to email addresses to home addresses. In todays society every phone dating back to 2007 has a personal assistant, this makes everyone a target and vulnerable to this malicious hack. Apple, Google, and Microsoft need to come out with a fix to this issue fairly quickly because it is only a matter of time before hackers discover the breach and take advantage of hundreds of people at a time. Weaknesses in phone assistances is no secret but non to this extreme have been leaked to date making this the most serious phone breach to date.

https://tinyurl.com/y7n7fj3p

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It’s been a long time since the Korean War. In fact, it’s still going on today since there was no treaty between the countries. All there was in the aftermath of the war was an armistice, and that caused a dmz between the two countries. A meeting between Kim Jong Un and Moon Jae-in seemed promising that they can put years of differences aside and become Korea. This lead to Trump tweeting about the Korean War to end. It’s ironic because not too long ago President Trump was tweeting about threatening to fire missiles at North Korea. Kim Jong Un was also threatening to attack South Korea and the U.S. It now seems as if North and South Korea are now becoming more friendly to each other.  President Trump is still being a little cautious on whether or not Kim Jong Un can be trusted. This has sparked for a meeting to take place between Kim Jong Un and President Trump.

The Panmunjom declaration, which was named after the truce village that hosted the talks on Friday, caused both of the two Koreas to commit to seek the “complete denuclearisation” of the entire peninsula. “South and North Korea confirmed the common goal of realising, through complete denuclearisation, a nuclear-free Korean peninsula, South and North Korea shared the view that the measures being initiated by North Korea are very meaningful and crucial for the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula, and agreed to carry out their respective roles and responsibilities in this regard.” Both leaders of the two Koreas pledged to push for talks with the US and China to finally end the Korean war with a peace treaty to replace the uneasy that stopped the war from lasting any longer. Surprisingly, Kim said it himself that,”To completely denuclearize, we declare that we will cooperate to bring about an everlasting peace on the peninsula.”

Some people are actually saying there is a pretty good chance that both countries can become one. What will this mean for the Korean people. I find that hard to believe due to the fact that Kim Jong Un wouldn’t want to give up his power to those he had called the 🤬. This could be apart of his plan to become allies with South Korea and get them to turn on the U.S. But who knows, only time will tell.
https://tinyurl.com/ybfusztw

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The leaders of North and South Korea have promised after a landmark summit to bring "lasting peace" to the peninsula with a commitment to denuclearisation and to ending decades of hostilities.

Speaking at the end of an extraordinary day that began with a lingering handshake across the demarcation line separating their countries, the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, and the South Korean president, Moon Jae-in, issued a joint statement that was short on detail but offered cause for optimism as the world looks ahead to a summit between Kim and Donald Trump.

The US president, in his first comments on the declaration, tweeted: "Good things are happening, but only time will tell!" He later added: "KOREAN WAR TO END!"

Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump)
KOREAN WAR TO END! The United States, and all of its GREAT people, should be very proud of what is now taking place in Korea!

Speaking at the White House, Trump warned that the US was "not going to be played" by North Korea, later the US president said he was getting close to choosing a venue for talks with Kim. "We're setting up meetings now," he said. "We're down to two countries... and we'll let you know what that site is."

At a joint press conference with Angela Merkel, Trump said: "Maximum pressure will continue until denuclearisation occurs. I look forward to our meeting, which will be quite something."

The Panmunjom declaration, named after the truce village that hosted the talks on Friday, committed the two Koreas to seek the "complete denuclearisation" of the peninsula.

"South and North Korea confirmed the common goal of realising, through complete denuclearisation, a nuclear-free Korean peninsula," it said. "South and North Korea shared the view that the measures being initiated by North Korea are very meaningful and crucial for the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula, and agreed to carry out their respective roles and responsibilities in this regard."

The statement did not specify what Pyongyang expected in return for abandoning its nuclear weapons - the regime's best deterrent against what it regards as a hostile US.

Speaking outside the peace house on the southern side of the border that has divided the Korean peninsula for 65 years, the leaders also pledged to push for talks with the US, and possibly China, to formally end the 1950-53 Korean war with a peace treaty to replace the uneasy truce that stopped hostilities.

Q&A
What's the history of conflict between North and South Korea?

North and South Korea have been divided since the end of the Korean War (1950-53), and except for about a decade ending in 2008, relations between the two have remained frosty. The two nations technically remain in a state of war, since a peace treaty was never signed. There have been occasional outbreaks of violence, most recently in 2010 when 50 people were killed when a South Korean navy corvette was sunk and several islands close to the border were attacked.

This meeting could touch on a formal truce but this is also not the first time North Korea has expressed a willingness to abandon its nuclear ambitions. A deal with the US, Japan and South Korea in the 1990s was meant to give the North civilian nuclear power without the ability to build a weapon, but the reactor was never finished.

North Korea pledged to relinquish its nuclear programme in 2007 in exchange for sanctions relief and fuel, but later pulled out of that agreement and expelled inspectors in 2009.
Read a full explainer on the Korea summit here

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Noting that more than a decade had passed since the countries' leaders last met, Kim and Moon agreed to talk regularly by phone and meet more often, starting with a summit in Pyongyang in autumn.

They vowed to work more closely on a host of bilateral issues, including reuniting families divided by the Korean war and improving cross-border transport links.

Months after relations between the two countries sank to their lowest level following North Korean missile launches and its sixth nuclear test, Moon said he and Kim were aware that the hopes of 80 million North and South Koreans rested on their shoulders.

"We were able to stand together today and agree that we should denuclearise the Korean peninsula," Moon said, according to a translation provided by South Korea's Arirang TV.

With Kim standing nearby behind a separate podium, he said. "To completely denuclearise, we declare that we will cooperate to bring about an everlasting peace on the peninsula."

Moon applauded Kim's "courage and determination" and vowed that "there will be no going back" to an era of tension and provocation that has occasionally brought the neighbours to the brink of conflict. "We are giving a great present to the citizens of the two Koreas," he said.

The goodwill measures would begin with a halt to "all forms of hostility" on land, at sea and in the air, the declaration said. The demilitarised zone - the heavily armed border separating the two countries - and the western maritime border will be turned into "peace zones".

From Tuesday, both countries will suspend all loudspeaker propaganda broadcasts and dismantle broadcasting equipment. They will also stop sending propaganda leaflets across the border.

Kim said: "We hope we will not repeat the mistake of the past. I hope this will be an opportunity for the Korean people to move freely from North to South. We need to take responsibility for our own history.

"We have waited for this day for a very long time. We are tied by blood and cannot be separated - we are the same country, the same people, and should not be separated by hostility.

North and South Korean leaders shake hands at the border - video

"We hope we can open a new road towards a new future, and that is why I crossed the demarcation line today. We hope for a new era of peace, and we have reaffirmed our commitment to that."

Duyeon Kim, a senior fellow at the Korean Peninsula Future Forum, said the wording of the statement was encouraging, as Kim prepares for his summit with Trump in late May or early June.

"It's good that the nuclear language is in there, and including 'complete denuclearisation' is a win for Moon," she said. "It's really aimed at setting up the meeting with Trump."

But she said it would have been easy for Kim to agree to the statement since "it reiterates what their position has been all along", and from Pyongyang's perspective, denuclearisation would include significant concessions from the US on its military presence in South Korea.

"In the grand scheme of things, this declaration is continuing the spirit of the 2007 agreement, and much of what we see in this declaration has been agreed to before," she said. "But it's still a long and complicated road ahead."

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Kim Jong-un Moon Jae-in pose in front of a stone during a tree-planting ceremony. Photograph: Korea Summit Press Pool/AFP/Getty Images

Earlier, the two leaders signed the joint statement before standing to shake hands. At Moon's instigation, they joined hands and raised their arms aloft, ending the exchange with an embrace and more of the broad smiles that were a feature of their joint public appearances throughout the day.

International reaction to the summit was largely positive. China, the North's main ally and its biggest economic partner, described the leaders' handshake as a historic moment.

"We applaud the Korean leaders' historic step and appreciate their political decisions and courage," Hua Chunying, a foreign ministry spokeswoman, told reporters. "We hope and look forward to them taking this opportunity to further open a new journey of long-term stability on the peninsula."

The White House said in a statement that it was "hopeful that talks will achieve progress toward a future of peace and prosperity for the entire Korean peninsula ... [and] looks forward to continuing robust discussions in preparation for the planned meeting between President Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un in the coming weeks".

The UK foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, sounded a more cautious note. While "very encouraged" by the summit, he said: "I don't think that anybody looking at the history of North Korea's plans to develop a nuclear weapon would want to be over-optimistic at this point. But it is clearly good news that the two leaders are meeting. Absolutely."

Virginie Grzelczyk, a senior lecturer at Aston University, said: "This is a very long game, and confidence-building will take a lot of time. I am not sure a meeting between Kim Jong-un and President Trump would add anything to this particularly good development in inter-Korean relations today, and it might be that this would blur the line."
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North and South Korean leaders promise 'lasting peace' for peninsula

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The leaders of North and South Korea have promised after a landmark summit to bring "lasting peace" to the peninsula with a commitment to denuclearisation and to ending decades of hostilities.

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On Wednesday May 2, Ford claimed that they are working to fix United State's production losses in Kansas City, Missouri. At two of the assembly plants, a fire broke out and now they are suspended from any production. This suspension was mainly for the production of F-150's and Super Duty vehicles. There is another Super Duty vehicle plant in Louisville, Kentucky and they are expecting to continue production in Avon Lake, Ohio. It was claimed that Ford had been running low on essential parts and paused their production. They were also prepared to temporarily lay off a few thousand workers after the incident. The Operating Chief, Joe Hinrichs, claims that there are enough Ford trucks ready to be sold and doesn't believe that the incident will immediately affect sales. But, this will impact the earnings of the company.  Ford is now expecting a downfall in profits for the third year in a row.  The Chief Executive of Ford, Jim Hackett, must now boost the margins in the company's core.

In my opinion, I think that Ford needs to make some major changes in its production.  They need to think of a better and safer way to produce cars.  I think it is good that the plants are suspended, so they can fix their productions, and get their profits back up.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/ford-suspends-f-150-production-on-parts-shortage-1525906506

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Netanyahu Puts Wrong Foot Forward y Serving Japan’s Abe Dessert In A Shoe

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Netanyahu Puts Wrong Foot Forward y Serving Japan’s Abe Dessert In A Shoe

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The first thing I do when I come into our house is take my shoes off. We don’t want to track in dirt or other particles that may be on our shoes. That’s just what we do. No, I don’t not have any Japanese heritage in my blood either. This is standard etiquette in the Japanese cultural. I would think most of us know this just from watching shows or movies and the Japanese always take their shoes off before entering from outside. If you are a leader in your country and invite a leader from another country to dinner, wouldn’t you go above and beyond to make sure every aspect of your dinner is appropriate and not offend anyone.

So, one would think that when the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his wife visited Israel the first week in May and was an invited to have dinner with Prime Minister Netanyahu, that he and his wife would have made sure that every aspect of the meal was appropriate. I would hope that you would consult with your staff on every detail of the dinner. Unfortunately, things didn’t go accordingly at this dinner. Imagine what the Japanese Prime Minister was thinking when his dessert was served in a shoe. The chef, Segev Moshe, who is one of the top chef’s in Israel decided to serve the chocolate praline dessert in a shoe. “This caused quite a stir among Japanese diplomat’s, Israeli Foreign Ministry officials and high-ranking Israeli diplomats and were shocked at the idea,” according to the Yediot Aharonot, a popular Israeli official as saying. “This was an insensitive decision,” the article quoted one unidentified senior Israeli official as saying. “There is nothing lowlier than a shoe in Japanese culture. Not only do they not wear shoes at home, you also won’t find shoes in their offices. This is disrespect of the first order.” The Israeli foreign ministry made it known that they were not involved in approving the dishes for this dinner.

I am not sure what the chef was thinking or not thinking. I am guessing that chef’s consider their meals a work of art and want to do something that will stand out. I do not think you would want to be the chef who is known for offending the Japanese for serving a dessert in a shoe at a “high profile dinner” between two Prime Ministers. This is not very good for diplomatic relations between two countries.

I don’t care what your intentions may be, but when you invite someone to dinner, you should do your research and make sure you serve nothing that may be offensive to another’s culture. Yes, we can be overly sensitive, but when it comes to State dinners that are intended to improve diplomatic relations the last thing you want to do is offend your guest and cause tension among your countries.
https://tinyurl.com/ybdpcmnp

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Hawaii's erupting volcano may spew 10-ton boulders from its summit

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Hawaii's erupting volcano may spew 10-ton boulders from its summit

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On Monday May 7, scientists confirmed that around 14 fissures have opened up near the Leilani Estates neighborhood this past week.  Scientists have looked back to the Kilauea, which was the longest erupting volcano on the planet.  It destroyed around 36 structures and killed about 1,700 people in its path.  The movement of magma from the volcano's summit has caused a drop in elevation at the lava lake from the top of the volcano.  Scientists believe that in a couple of weeks, the lava lake will meet with groundwater.  This could lead to powerful steam explosions that can cover the area with 10-ton molten rocks.  If multiple explosions occur, there will be a rockfall in the inner tunnel.  But when the magma inside the tunnel has met groundwater, it will create steam.  The rockfall could also make a dam which can cause all of the steam to build up pressure until it bursts as an explosion.  Scientists are not absolutely certain if this will actually occur or not and it is hard for them to predict what exactly will happen and when.

In my opinion, I think the scientists need to continue to figure out as much as they can about the volcano and its eruption. I understand that this is not something you can time and it is very difficult to predict. I think the people need to evacuate quickly so they will not be harm in case the volcano does erupt.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2018/05/09/erupting-hawaii-volcano-could-next-spew-10-ton-boulders-from-its-summit-scientists-say/?utm_term=.abc59ab6633d

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Rising Carbon Dioxide Levels-Global Warming

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Rising Carbon Dioxide Levels-Global Warming

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When it comes to the environment one of the biggest debates is global warming. There are some who strongly believe in it and those who think it’s a hoax. March of this year was the fifth warmest on record that has been recorded. The carbon dioxide level is on the rise also. According to data from the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii, the concentration of carbon dioxide levels reached the highest ever in April of this year. The monthly average concentration was 410.31 parts per million.
The Scripps Institute of Oceanography started using the observatory in 1956 to collect data of the atmosphere along with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration since 1974. The data that has been collected from the observatory indicates a significant increase in the levels of carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide data that has been collected over the past 800,000 years from ice cores containing ancient air bubbles indicate the levels of carbon dioxide that has been released always had a tendency to fluctuate, but recently the levels have been increasingly higher. I find it interesting. I thought globally we were becoming “greener” and being more conscientious when it came to the environment. Human activity is a major reason for the rise of carbon dioxide. The automobiles are built to be more energy efficient along with household appliances, etc. How are we releasing more carbon dioxide if we have globally become greener?  The population has increased along with our technological advancements. Do we really need to buy a new car every five years? Do we need to replace our iphones every year a new version comes out.  Do we still need to be building more communities? We are still creating waste, while trying to convince ourselves that we are much greener than our ancestors or not?
The trees and plants can absorb carbon dioxide, but our forests and plants are declining and only so much carbon dioxide will be absorb. This will result in higher levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere causing more warming. The oceans absorb carbon dioxide too, but with the levels increasing they will only be able to absorb so much carbon dioxide resulting in a warmer climate. We need to spend more time replanting trees and plants, rather than cutting them down.
https://tinyurl.com/yag4m9v7

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Temperatures are on the rise ( March was the fifth warmest ever recorded) and so is the level of carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere. The concentration of carbon dioxide levels reached an all-time high in April, with a monthly average concentration of 410.31 parts per million, according to data from the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii.

The observatory has been used by the Scripps Institute of Oceanography since 1956 to continuously collect data on the atmosphere, and by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration since 1974. Data gathered from the observatory shows a sharp increase in the levels of carbon dioxide, which have increased more than 90 parts per million since then.

Data gathered from ice cores containing ancient air bubbles reveal CO2 levels from the last 800,000 years. Those ice cores show that while carbon dioxide levels have always fluctuated, they were never higher than 300 parts per million before the Industrial Revolution, according to Scripps.

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Levels of CO2 are important to monitor because, like all greenhouse gases, it traps heat in the Earth's atmosphere, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Human activity is a significant contributor to making CO2 the most abundant greenhouse gas in the atmosphere.

The burning of fossil fuels, waste and other products causes a release of CO2. That CO2 gets pulled out of the atmosphere when plants absorb it, but the depletion of plants on the Earth through deforestation and development means there are fewer plants to absorb the gas. All of these processes lead to the eventual heating of the planet.

The ocean also absorbs CO2, according to NASA's Earth Observatory. But the ocean will eventually reach a point at which it can no longer take any more of the greenhouse gas, and ocean circulation, a process that's important for distributing heat, might stop. This, in turn, would result in additional carbon dioxide left in the atmosphere and more warming.
See all of the best photos of the week in these slideshows
Ralph Keeling, the program director of the Scripps CO2 Program, did not immediately respond to Newsweek 's request for comment.

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April saw the highest concentration of CO2 in the Earth's atmosphere

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Temperatures are on the rise ( March was the fifth warmest ever recorded) and so is the level of carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere. The concentration of carbon dioxide levels reached an all-time high in April, with a monthly average concentration of 410.31 parts per million, according to data from the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii.

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Israel accuses Iran of conducting a rocket attack on Golan Heights 

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Israel accuses Iran of conducting a rocket attack on Golan Heights 

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On Thursday May 3, 2018, the Israeli military claimed that Iran fired 20 rockets on the front line military positions in Golan Heights.  Shortly after the attack, Israel blamed Iran's Quds Force, an elite military group in Iran, for the barrage.  Israel stated that the rockets were aimed at their logistics sites, intelligence centers, and storage for weapons.  The rockets also hit Syria's air defense systems, but no warplanes were hit.  Israel later confirmed that no hits were made in Israel and that they intercepted four of the missiles, but the rest of them were found in Syria.  This attack set off the air sirens in Golan to warn the people.  A few hours later, the defense of the Syrian missiles was lively broadcasted.  Israel and Iran have been in a feud and on each others radars for quite some time now.  Although Israel has attempted to stay out of trouble, they are responsible for over 100 airstrikes in the past seven years.  These airstrikes were aimed at Iran's shipments of weapons. This rocket crisis was the first that Iran directly targeted Israel.

In my opinion, I think it was unjust of Iran to launch these rockets at Israel.  I don't think it was right because they missed most of their assigned targets and could have hit innocent people.  Also, I think that it wasn't fair for Syria because most of the missed rockets landed on them.  That caused Syria to have to send over missiles to protect their people.  Overall, I did not think the decision of sending rockets to Israel was right.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2018/05/09/golan-heights-rocket-attack/596875002/

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Mosque in Afghanistan Bombed Killing 14 People

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Mosque in Afghanistan Bombed Killing 14 People

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A mosque that was being used as a voting registration center was recently bombed in Afghanistan. This incident has resulted with 14 people killed and 33 people injured. It is unsure who was responsible for this act but the Taliban and Islamic State have a past for targeting voting registration centers.

The Taliban and IS have a hatred towards democratic elections and even last month, the IS attacked a center in Kabul which killed 60 people. Many other attacks have occured in Afghanistan which have been claimed by the Taliban like a car bombing.

Afghanistan is having a difficult time fighting against these groups after the US and NATO ended their combat mission and switching to a counterterrorism and support rule. Battling against terrorist groups can be very risky and difficult but it is important to help countries who are struggling. In times where terrorist attacks have become frequent, the world should be coming together to help those in need.

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Mosque Bombing in Afghanistan Kills At Least 14 and Wounds 33

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The mosque was being used as a voter registration center

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Scientists build 'synthetic embryos'Using only mouse cells other than sperm and eggs, Dutch scientists have built “synthetic” embryos in their laboratory with the pure intention of understanding why many pregnancies fail at an early stage. Dr Nicolas Rivon, from the Merlin Institute of Maastricht University, and his team mixed two types of stem cells from mice in order to make the embryo-like structure. The embryos were then attached to the womb lining of live female mice where they grew for a few days before further examination of the development. Unlike before, the researchers were able to observe it implant in mice! Although we can now generate as many embryos as we want for the use of our studies, infertility among women everywhere still remains a puzzle. There are no plans of repeating the results using human stem cells as of now, but perhaps in the future we will fully understand the mystery behind pregnancy failures. With the new development of synthetic embryos I truly believe that in the future, we’ll be able to entirely understand the reasoning behind pregnancy failures at early stages, and perhaps even better, prevent such from happening! https://tinyurl.com/yasy6ylx

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Scientists build 'synthetic embryos'Using only mouse cells other than sperm and eggs, Dutch scientists have built “synthetic” embryos in their laboratory with the pure intention of understanding why many pregnancies fail at an early stage. Dr Nicolas Rivon, from the Merlin Institute of Maastricht University, and his team mixed two types of stem cells from mice in order to make the embryo-like structure. The embryos were then attached to the womb lining of live female mice where they grew for a few days before further examination of the development. Unlike before, the researchers were able to observe it implant in mice! Although we can now generate as many embryos as we want for the use of our studies, infertility among women everywhere still remains a puzzle. There are no plans of repeating the results using human stem cells as of now, but perhaps in the future we will fully understand the mystery behind pregnancy failures. With the new development of synthetic embryos I truly believe that in the future, we’ll be able to entirely understand the reasoning behind pregnancy failures at early stages, and perhaps even better, prevent such from happening! https://tinyurl.com/yasy6ylx

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Gun Control has been the new hot topic in the news due to the recent mass shootings. People have raised questions as to weather or not banning guns is the right decision and what precautions should be taken before selling a person a gun. Semi-automatic guns specifically the  Ar-15 have been heavily criticized by the media lately due to their appearance and "popularity" in recent shootings. President Trump and NRA Spokesman David French released a statement that is the best of both worlds. In the in the statement, they introduced the idea of gun restraining orders for people with violent crimes as well as Convicted felons from getting a gun of any sort. The AR-15 has been widely criticized by liberals recently due to its "scary" appearance. Banning semi-automatic weapons is not the answer to the gun issue. By banning semi-auto weapons that then limits the government on weapons they can use. Semi-Automatic guns account for more then 60% of purchased guns, they range from pistols to shotguns to AR's to long rifles. AR-15's are not the deadly rifle uneducated liberals make them out to be. They are a highly respected sporting gun very commonly used in shooting sports and hunting deer, bears, and other animals. The AR-15 is NOT a weapon used to hunt humans and is no where military grade despite claims from various liberal news sources. The AR-15 is also said to be "responsible" for the recent mass shootings but people look past the fact that the issue is the people, not the gun. Guns do not 🤬 people, mentally ill people 🤬 people. President Trumps highly respected plan to seek gun restraining restraining orders is the answer to the gun control debate. In President Trumps plan, banning attachments that increase the fire rate of guns is strictly outlawed. So,do you think semi-auto guns should be banned?
https://tinyurl.com/y8xb9usd

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California, first state to mandate solar panels on homes built after Jan 1, 2020

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California, first state to mandate solar panels on homes built after Jan 1, 2020

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The California Energy Commission approved the plan. The mandate still requires approval from the Building Standards Commission. Estimations say that this will only add $40 monthly to the homeowners mortgage payments. They also say the homeowners will save $80 on heating, cooling, and lighting costs per month. Current homeowners have the choice of adding the solar panels but is not mandatory although many already did by using the governments rebate programs. California invested $42 million on solar energy to date. Almost 16% of the states electricity came from solar energy and should be going up soon after the mandate goes through in 2020.
https://tinyurl.com/ybdgerrn

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Kenya's Patel dam bursts, sweeping away homes in Solai

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Kenya's Patel dam bursts, sweeping away homes in Solai

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About 41 people died due to heavy rain causing the dam to burst. The people who have died probably got stuck in the mud and majority of them were children and women. Because of the dam bursting the outcome is a lot of people are now homeless. These heavy rains are caused by a long time drought which also left people in need for food aid. A lot of homes were destroyed because of the dam bursting. A lot of survivors were working at the time in their farmland, when the dam burst. Eleven bodies were recovered near a coffee plantation. Two bodies were discovered several miles away from the area that was affecting the dam. This started raising some question about the other dams that were around the area.
http://alturl.com/df2hq

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Lawmakers claim that there needs to be a regulation on social media. Mark Zuckerberg, chief executive of Facebook, was questioned how social media puts privacy of the political field at risk. With this discussion ongoing, lawmakers hope that Congress will eventually act and pass a law that regulates the use of social media for certain purposes. Another risk that they brought up was other counties receiving secret information about the U.S.

There should be laws on regulating what people should post, but only if it puts the country at risk. The laws being passed should not be regulated enough for there to be censorship. People want and deserve to be educated on what is going on in the world, and social media is the fastest way to get updated.

https://tinyurl.com/ybg6c5nq

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Build a Better Neighborhood to Boost Kids' Health

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Build a Better Neighborhood to Boost Kids' Health

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In 2017 researches experimented how impact of neighborhood quality and a family's socioeconomic status on the health of a group of kindergartners.

They analyzed the the stress level of hormone cortisol in 338 kindergartners from different backgrounds.

They put half the the students in higher quality neighborhoods with stable and safe communities, and the other half in lower quality lifestyle and neighborhoods.

"Being reared in conditions of economic deprivation, living in a low socioeconomic environment, can absolutely be a source of adversity and is often captured within those measures of adverse childhood experiences – not being able to make ends meet, not having enough food to put on the table”

- Rubinov.  That’s exactly what happens. Children from lower economic-status families were living in more resourced neighborhoods that are higher quality neighborhoods. The cortisol level was tremendously decreased.

“Children were found to have less stress and be in better physical health if they lived in higher-opportunity neighborhoods.”  -U.C.S.

I feel that every child should have to opportunity to follow their dream without having a setback in their lives. The least we could is provide them with stable and safe communities.

https://tinyurl.com/y96pmssd

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Many refugees fled from their homes in desperate search of safety, and found it in Balkukali,Bangladesh in a refugee camp. Now that they are safely in a new country, they are facing a new type of threat to their lives- monsoon and cyclone season. These refugee camps are heavily overcrowded because about 700,000 people have been fleeing Burma’s army after they torched many homes and killed people. Balkukal, Bangladesh is home to the world largest refugee camp, and is starting to fall apart due to the weather. Days ago the hillside near the camp broke down since it had become so dry during the dry season so when it became wet it completely broke apart and fell. The residents of the camp are considering leaving because they worry if they stay they will die or be injured. One refugee, Hamit Hussen said “I cannot stay here. I have children”. Since this season's monsoon and cyclone season are approaching, the refugees are trying to leave in order to save themselves.

https://tinyurl.com/ybqy3wtt

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Its well known that many people in North Korea are malnourished, and since 1990, North Korea has had a steady inclining poverty rate. With a population a bit over 25 million, 10.5 million are malnourished. About 70 percent of North Korean  citizens rely on food aid from other charities that donate or their government, but with the government focussing so much money into their military ambitions, it limits the amount of money that could be spent on food even more. Roughly a quarter of North Korea's GDP is used for military development , and since they keep doing missile tests trying to assert their power in the world, it makes it hard for the charities and world leaders trying to feed the people to give them any support. Because of this , many vulnerable citizens are in desperate need of aid, so the United Nations released a statement saying “More predictable funding is urgently required to insure that the most immediate needs of the citizens are met”

https://tinyurl.com/y

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The First Time Iran has Directly Attacked Israel

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The First Time Iran has Directly Attacked Israel

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On Thursday morning, Iran launched 20 missiles towards Golan Heights, making it the first time to attack Israel directly. Many of the missiles were intercepted by Israel’s missile defense system causing loud sounds and bright sparks to occur throughout the night in the area. The residents in Golan Heights have become used to all the military activity around them since it is located close to Israel’s enemies. People were told to continue on with their regular life but to possibly prepare to open their bomb shelters.

On Tuesday, Trump announced that the U.S. would be withdrawing from the nuclear deal with Iran which gives Iran less reason to be cautious towards Israel. Majority of Israelis believe that they are on the brink of war.

It is shocking to hear that even children are used to being surrounded by all this negativity and have to live in fear everyday. The conflict between Iran and Israel will not get resolved by more fighting. Iran is already upset from their seven soldiers that died due to Israel attacking so going to war will create a bigger conflict between them.

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In a study, the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine found that after an increase in pollution levels, children were more likely to get an infection. They used small particulate matter levels to measure the amount of pollution, and recorded how many respiratory infections were present in the people they were studying. This is an important topic to discuss because pollution corresponding to respiratory infections is just one example of many, many different potential problems that can be related to pollution. Pollution covers a very vast amount of different environmental concerns, but I believe that studying it and the problems it creates can not only help us mitigate problems it causes, but also raise incentive to find ways to negate pollution. This article plays a key role in doing this; nobody supports a potential increase in respiratory infections because of pollutions, therefore, there is already more incentive to find the solution or at least a solution to pollution. We may never know how many problems in the environment today are potentially correlated to pollution in some way, but how many examples do we need to find until people as a whole finally recognize its significance?

https://tinyurl.com/y7gvvovn

Bakalar, Nicholas. “Air Pollution May Pose Serious Risks to Young Children.” The New York Times, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/04/13/well/family/air-pollution-may-pose-serious-risks-to-young-children.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FAir%20Pollution&action=click&contentCollection=science&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=4&pgtype=collection. Accessed 11 May 2018.

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Its well known that many people in North Korea are malnourished, and since 1990, North Korea has had a steady inclining poverty rate. With a population a bit over 25 million, 10.5 million are malnourished. About 70 percent of North Korean  citizens rely on food aid from other charities that donate or their government, but with the government focussing so much money into their military ambitions, it limits the amount of money that could be spent on food even more. Roughly a quarter of North Korea's GDP is used for military development , and since they keep doing missile tests trying to assert their power in the world, it makes it hard for the charities and world leaders trying to feed the people to give them any support. Because of this , many vulnerable citizens are in desperate need of aid, so the United Nations released a statement saying “More predictable funding is urgently required to insure that the most immediate needs of the citizens are met”

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On May 7th, a horrific attack was executed in Kabul, Afghanistan. Two 🤬 bombers targeted police stations, claimed to have been attacking under the Islamic State militants. At least two police officers were killed, with more injured. The significance of these attacks goes deeper than just innocent lives being lost, however. Not only were these attacks targeting police stations, they were also targeting areas of the Shiite Hazara community, and areas near embassies, government offices, and banks. This is very significant because it is calling the people of Kabul to not feel safe no matter where they go. Because of this, there is concern that many people will not vote in the upcoming parliamentary elections that are occurring in July. These attacks only make this concern more and more worrisome. An increase in 🤬 bombings has been seen in Afghanistan, and the Taliban has been capturing several places previously held by Afghan security forces since 2014, when the U.S and NATO stopped engaging in combat.

I believe that this event and many events like this are more important than people may think. Not only are people dying, but terrorists are gaining influence on political grounds through violence. Allowing terrorism to be successful to any degree is unacceptable. The only way to stop terrorism is to render attempts at terrorism completely useless.

https://tinyurl.com/yamd6mj7

Hadid, Diaa. “🤬 Bombers In Kabul Attack Multiple Police Stations.” The Two-Way, npr, 9 May 2018, www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/05/09/609654597/🤬-bombers-in-kabul-attack-multiple-police-stations. Accessed 11 May 2018.

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On  Wednesday morning, 3 🤬 bombers attacked Kabul, Afghanistan leaving 6 dead, and possibly many more. The 3 bombers struck two police stations in the capital of Afghanistan. The Interior Ministry Official, Najib Danish said that the first attack happened in the western section of the city, and initially after the first blast there was gunfire as well. Soon after the first attack, the two other 🤬 bombers struck at another police station at the center of Kabul. It is suspected that the terrorist group ISIS is behind the attack seeing as they are commonly sending in 🤬 bombers into countries with western backed governments. Even just a few weeks ago, ISIS killed 25 people in a multi-part bombing, even killing 9 journalists who rushed to the first scene to report of the horrific injuries and death that they had witnessed.

https://tinyurl.com/y8yqtjks

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Kilauea’s destruction on Hawaii’s Big Island

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Kilauea’s destruction on Hawaii’s Big Island

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On April 30th, the volcano known as Kilauea began to spread its lava underground after the floor of a crater on top of the volcano collapsed. Because of this, little earthquakes have occurred but also large ones, including the biggest one in Hawaii in four decades. The lava has been surfacing all around Hawaii’s Big Island. It surfaces by bursting through the ground, so the surface all around Big Island is split open and seems to be almost leaking lava. Now, because of toxic sulfur dioxide and potential fires, citizens living in Big Island are forced to evacuate. The lava has already covered “at least 116 acres on the island, destroying 36 structures, including more than two dozen homes”. So far there are fifteen fissures, but scientists think that this increased volcanic activity could result in a large explosion from Kilauea’s summit sometime soon.

Despite the damage that this volcanic activity has caused, and the risk of an eruption, I believe that the situation is going very well for one big reason: No casualties. So far, everyone has been cautious around lava and wary of the potential fires and toxious that could threaten them at any moment. Thankfully, the safety and precautions being taken started with authorities ordering the evacuation of many residents on Big Island. If we continue to handle Kilauea with extreme care and caution, I think that the Island itself could recover and be restored to even better than it was before, as long as no fatalities occur. After all, it is Hawaii that we’re talking about.

https://tinyurl.com/ya2gjqrv

Wang, Amy B. “Ominous images show Kilauea’s destruction on Hawaii’s Big Island.” Hawaii Volcano, Washington Post, 10 May 2018, www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2018/05/08/ominous-images-show-kilauea-volcanos-destruction-on-hawaiis-big-island/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.37bb955f06dd. Accessed 11 May 2018.

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President Trump and North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un set to meet in Singapore on June 12

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President Trump and North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un set to meet in Singapore on June 12

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The pair have been going back and forth with insults and threats against each other but back in March Trump has accepted an invitation by Kim Jong Un. This happened probably from the breakthrough of South Korea and North Korea. Trump said "We will both try to make it a very special moment for world peace!". The expected topic they'll discuss is the nuclear weapon programme. The communist North have tested 6 nuclear tests since 2006 despite international condemnation and sanctions, saying it needs weapons to protect themselves. Ahead of the meeting Kim has agreed to stop nuclear tests and also shut down a nuclear test site. But this raises suspension as many analyst believe "denuclearisation" means something different to both sides.
https://tinyurl.com/y7bjwx2s

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Undetectable Commands for Apple's Siri and Amazon's Alexa Raise Serious Security Risks

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Undetectable Commands for Apple's Siri and Amazon's Alexa Raise Serious Security Risks

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Researchers in China and the U.S. have now found ways to send hidden commands to digital assistants, such as: Apple’s Siri, Amazon’s Alexa, and Google Assistant. Imbedded into music and spoken text inaudible commands undetectable to the human ear are issued. These commands can be used to activate and issue orders on devices, unlocking smart locks, accessing bank accounts, and unlocking all sorts of personal information.  A paper from the University of California, Berkeley states that, “While at present this is strictly an academic exercise, researchers at the university say it’s foolish to assume hackers won’t discover the same methods as well.” There have already been instances of companies taking advantage of the weakness of devices, including Burger King’s Google Home commercial. Companies are now taking steps to ensure that their technology is safe. Google saying, “Its platform has features that mitigate such commands. The number of devices in consumers’ homes is on a steep incline, so the question is, is anyone really secure?

https://tinyurl.com/y7n7fj3p

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Facebook Is Blocking Foreign Ads Relating to Ireland's Abortion Referendum

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Facebook Is Blocking Foreign Ads Relating to Ireland's Abortion Referendum

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Facebook has announced it is banning foreign ads relating to Ireland’s upcoming referendum on abortion. This decision follows the criticism as the platform was used to sway voters in the 2016 presidential elections as well as the Britain Brexit referendum. Taking place May 25th Irish voters will take part in a referendum whether to free Ireland’s divisive abortion laws. The procedure, abortion, is currently illegal in the country. Many groups have already purchased online ads leading up to the vote, including a U.S. pro-life group. Facebook left a message on their website stating, “As part of our efforts to help protect the integrity of elections and referendums from undue influence, we will begin rejecting ads related to the referendum if they are being run by advertisers based outside of Ireland.” Facebook is still developing automatic ways to remove these ads, it is currently left up to the campaign groups to identify the foreign ads. Will this be enough ensure the removal of the foreign ads?

https://tinyurl.com/y9s5cu96

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Habitat destruction occurs when the conditions necessary for plants and animals to survive are eliminated or taken away. Pollution, cutting down trees, and coastal development are all factors that lead aquatic animals to lose their home. Areas such as creeks, rivers, tributaries, and ponds are a major breeding place for animals. Laws are being passed on how humans should behave towards the beloved wildlife.
There needs to be more laws passed on how people should preserve nature's wildlife. For example, tourism brings a lot of human contact to the oceans (boating, fishing, snorkeling, etc.). To resolve the problem is to pass laws on where people are allowed to go, in order to keep the homes of aquatic animals safe. More regulations should also be passed to prevent pollution at waterways. It would then decrease the risk factor that an animal may be caught in a piece of plastic or covered in oil. Lastly, there needs to be more advertisement on saving marine waterways and to promote recycling.
https://tinyurl.com/y8wxv2tt

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‘Where do I go now?’ In D.C., fear as a decrepit homeless shelter is finally closing.

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‘Where do I go now?’ In D.C., fear as a decrepit homeless shelter is finally closing.

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Yet another big change for those that have so little. The 260 families residing in the former D.C. General Hospital in Southeast Washington, currently the largest family homeless shelter in D.C., are being told they must find somewhere else to go. The decaying hospital many call a ‘horror show’ is still a place many families call home, but not for much longer. The families must move out, the hospital will be torn down, and in its place is going 91 luxury apartments. With rent rates climbing many have no other option but to go back out on the street. Smaller shelters are being built around the city, but they will not be ready until October, well after everyone has been kicked out.

While some are saying finally other are saying sadly. The shelter is a decrepit rotting mold pit, but puts a roof over the heads of many families in need. The closing of this shelter leaves many people asking where they will go next. One women saying, “I’m not even worried about me right now, I just want to promise that my baby has a better chance than I did.”

https://tinyurl.com/yan39vqt

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Opioid Epidemic Effects Todays Newborns 

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Opioid Epidemic Effects Todays Newborns 

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In the US with the growing opioid outbreak there is a rise in Hepatitis-C in pregnant women. This can be contracted from the dirty needles used by addicts of opioid. With this epidemic the mother to child connection is at high risk to give the child Hepatitis. This can at often times have no symptoms which making it harder to catch until there is actual damage done. According to the study authors “It's estimated that upwards of 40,000 American newborns get exposed to hepatitis C in the womb each year. As many as 4,000 go on to be infected.” People are not recognizing the drug crisis that is going on everywhere around them, which has gotten so bad that it transfers straight into the newborns that can not do anything about it. All drug abusers need to seek counseling and opioid treatments. We can help these people through treatment, the treatment can be partially or fully paid by the opioid pharmaceutical companies. Once we can manage the population that can pass it on to the next generation, we can potentially reduce the abusers of opioid. This growing epidemic not only affects our adults but their children too.

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Black Yale Student Reported to Police for Sleeping in own Dorm

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Black Yale Student Reported to Police for Sleeping in own Dorm

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On May 9, a black graduate student who had fallen asleep in her Yale University dorm's common room had to spend more than 15 minutes in an interaction with police proving that she was a student there. A white student, Lolade Siyonbola sleeping on a couch in Yale's Hall of Graduates Studies. Siyonbola said that she was woken up by a student, who told her that she was not allowed to be there, and called authorities. Siyonbola also told authorities that the same student who had reported her had also reported a black friend of hers who was in a stairwell a few months prior. In a Facebook post, Siyonbola identifies the white student as Sarah Braasch, a philosophy student. It is depressing in more ways than one that this story isn't even the biggest racial profiling story of the past two weeks, and that something like this can happen so often that it becomes habit. When I say habit I mean you can open any newspaper and expect to find at least one story along the same lines every week. The question is why does this keep happening, and why is this an issue that America seems to have become numb to. People are so used to much bigger and more tragic events like this happening, that people have actually started to expect this. It is bad news, not only for our countries present, but its future as well.

https://tinyurl.com/yanqvute
"Black Yale student reported to police for sleeping in her dorm"
May 9, 2018

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Israel is planning to move the current US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The move estimates that it will cost at least $400,000 to relocate it’s office. The majority of the current workers at the embassy won’t be set to move until the new piece of construction is established.

There will be an inauguration this coming Monday on the date May 14 to set this blueprint for the us embassy. An estimate of 800 guests are likely to attend this ceremony, a number of politicians like Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner. Street signs and billboard have been posted everywhere around Jerusalem to let the population know about this move.

The US moving the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem sets back movements towards peace between Palestine and Israel. Israel and Palestine have been in conflict over Jerusalem, a city in which the two countries have been claiming as belonging to each of them, Israel in control of th western half and Jordan over the eastern half. With this move it can create and encourage for future connections with powerful countries to be associated with Israel.

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CLOSE

JERUSALEM - On the road to the soon-to-open U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem, groundskeepers planted red, white and blue flowers underneath American and Israeli flags for Monday's inauguration of the controversial new location that has sparked Palestinian outrage.

For all the commotion over President Trump's decision to move the embassy from Tel Aviv, the operation involves few changes to the U.S. consular compound in the southern Jerusalem neighborhood of Arnona - other than new street signs and a plaque marking the status change of the stone building.

The move's initial phase includes relocating U.S. Ambassador David Friedman and a small staff to the Arnona site, modifying the compound for his future office and additional security. Total cost: about $400,000, the embassy said.

Most of the 850 embassy workers in Tel Aviv will not move to Jerusalem until a new building is constructed, which could take up to nine years. American consular services such as issuing visas will continue at the Arnona site.

About 800 guests are likely to attend Monday's ceremony, including members of Congress. Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan will lead the U.S. delegation, along with Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law and adviser; Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin; and U.S. Middle East peace envoy Jason Greenblatt, the White House said this week.

A photo taken April 30, 2018, shows excavators in Israel working near the U.S. consulate, which will be used as a temporary new U.S. Embassy starting on May 14, 2018. (Photo: Thomas Coex, AFP/Getty Images)

The residential neighborhood is lined with American flags and dotted with patrolling police and security guards.

Last month, a group of 20 Arnona residents petitioned the Israeli Supreme Court to block the move. They oppose the added security and planned construction of a wall 10-15 feet high that would block the residents' view of West Bank hillsides and, on clear days, Jordan. The court rejected the petition May 1.

"The neighborhood has really suffered," said Daniel Yonas, 36, who grew up in Arnona and was one of the residents who petitioned the court. "I'll walk in the street and say hi to my dad and get stopped by a big, flashing American (police) car."

More: Trump says he may visit Israel for opening of U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem

More: U.S. plans to move embassy to Jerusalem on May 14

More: Trump will begin process to move U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, officials say

Israel views Trump's decision in December to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital as a symbolic triumph. Trump broke with decades of U.S. foreign policy that withheld such recognition until the city's final status was worked out by Israelis and Palestinians in a peace agreement.

Palestinian diplomat Saeb Erekat called on foreign leaders this week to boycott the embassy opening. He said attending will "encourage flagrant violations of international law and the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people."

The embassy ceremony will occur on the 70th anniversary of Israel declaring its independence, adding to what could be a tense week for Israelis and Palestinians. A day later, on May 15, Palestinians will mark the Nakba, or "catastrophe," commemorating land lost to the establishment of Israel in 1948.

A view of the U.S. Consulate building complex in west Jerusalem on Jan. 23, 2017. (Photo: Jim Hollander, EPA-EFE)

Israeli police braced for demonstrations in Jerusalem as Palestinian leaders expressed their anger before the move. Palestinians seek East Jerusalem, including the walled Old City, as the capital of their future state.

Senior Palestinian official Ahmad Majdalani called for "a huge, popular day of rage everywhere" Monday. "Our people will express their rejection of relocating the embassy to occupied Jerusalem," he told the Palestinian Authority's radio station, Voice of Palestine, this week.

The Israeli army geared up for the culmination of six weeks of demonstrations called the March of Return along the Gaza border. More than 40 Palestinian protesters have been killed by Israeli fire during the protests.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said Israeli police coordinated security measures for the embassy opening with American personnel.

The Arnona compound is between predominantly Jewish West Jerusalem and mostly Palestinian East Jerusalem, which Israel captured in from Jordan in a war in 1967. The annexation of East Jerusalem was never internationally recognized. It sits on the armistice line drawn between Israel and Jordan after the Israeli-Arab war in 1948.

By the end of 2019, the embassy compound will house Ambassador Friedman's full staff.

Trump said he negotiated the price of the new embassy down from a $1 billion estimate to $300,000-$400,000.

Moussa Mahmed, 35, of East Jerusalem, was one of the workers laying soil and beautifying the grounds around the compound this week, but he expressed bitterness about the embassy move.

"What is the difference between here or in Tel Aviv? America is playing a big game, and we won't play it," he said. "Sure, there will be a U.S. Embassy in East Jerusalem, Palestine, one day - once we achieve peace."

Read or Share this story: https://usat.ly/2rxfKyd

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U.S. Embassy to open in Jerusalem amid Palestinian outcry

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CLOSE JERUSALEM - On the road to the soon-to-open U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem, groundskeepers planted red, white and blue flowers underneath American and Israeli flags for Monday's inauguration of the controversial new location that has sparked Palestinian outrage. For all the commotion over President Trump's decision to move the embassy from Tel Aviv, the operation involves few changes to the U.S.

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Devastation In Kenya, Due To Dam Breakage 

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Devastation In Kenya, Due To Dam Breakage 

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The small capital of Kenya, Nairobi, encountered a sudden devastation due to catastrophic failure of the dam located in Nakuru County. They are unaware of the severity of the damage. The dam burst Wednesday night around 9pm, causing many to suffer and leaving many heartbroken. The city has had many previous flooding causing the dam walls to crack, which led to it bursting.

Around 135 people have faced death, injury, or are still missing. Many villages in Nairobi are plucked apart including the residents that were split apart from their family. As the time keeps moving, more and more casualties are to be put on the record. The breaking of the dam was said to almost completely destroy the villages of Nyakinyua and Energy.

I hope to see more recognition to the outside countries that face any mass casualty as we are all equal and need to take care of our own kind. It’s upsetting to see that with devastation such as this one, there is no attention to it. This country needs aid from countries such as our own to help  get on their own two feet by providing them with aid such as money to help them recover from this disaster.

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Kenya Dam Break Wipes Out Villages, Killing Dozens (Published 2018)

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The disaster about 110 miles northwest of the capital, Nairobi, left 500 families homeless and set off a scramble to find the missing and identify the dead.

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In Kabul, Afghanistan, a 🤬 bomber killed 57 people and at least 119 were injured by the explosives he detonated as Afghan authorities distributed national identity cards to get more people to register to vote which was part of a push by the government. There had been low public interest in the October because of the threat to safety by 🤬 bombers and other violent groups. A separate explosion occurred near a voter registration center in Baghlan and a week before elections, staff members had been abducted. Many of these violent events have occurred because the Taliban do not want a new leader for the nation. Citizens are terrified and are reluctant to vote because of the violent acts that occur at voter registration centers. Nations outside of the proximity of Afghanistan should come together to help this nation come above and survive these fearful events.

Cite:

‘So Many Bodies’: Bomber Kills Dozens Signing Up to Vote in Kabul

April 22, 2018

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KABUL, Afghanistan - A suicide bomber killed at least 57 people on Sunday as they lined up at a government office in Kabul to register to vote, raising new concerns about the potential for violence to undermine Afghanistan's long-delayed parliamentary elections.

The attacker detonated his explosives as the Afghan authorities distributed national identity cards in the western part of Kabul, the capital, part of a push by the government to get more people to register to vote. Wahidullah Majrooh, a spokesman for the Afghan Health Ministry, said the attack also wounded at least 119 others.

Among the dead were 25 men, 22 women and eight children, while two bodies were not identifiable, Mr. Majrooh said.

Public interest in the October elections has been alarmingly low because of voter fatigue after successive fraudulent elections and concerns about the threat to safety at polling stations posed by suicide bombers and other violence from groups opposing the government.

Soon after the Taliban denied responsibility, the Islamic State said that it was behind the carnage, according to the group's Amaq news agency. Although the group's area of control and number of fighters in Afghanistan have largely been reduced through heavy airstrikes and commando operations, the militants still continue to claim attacks in urban centers.

At the scene of the attack, relatives of the victims tried to go past the police cordon for news of their loved ones. Windows of some of the nearby homes were blown out. Firefighters tried to wash away the blood and human remains from the sidewalks and walls, the drainage canals flooded with bloody water.

Among the victims were children in uniform who were on their way to a nearby school. A picture circulating on social media showed one young child in the morgue still wearing her pink schoolbag, pulled up as a pillow to her hair, which was covered in blood.

"I have carried so many bodies that I cannot even talk," said Mohammad Karim, 47, who lives nearby. "What is our pain? It is an ongoing pain and misery. They are attacking us and we are being martyred. I carried about 12 bodies. I carried a daughter and mother. The daughter's brain was smashed out, the mother's abdomen was cut open."
[A retired wrestler was often among the first to help the wounded when Shiites were attacked in Kabul. On Sunday, he became a victim. Read his story here.]

A separate explosion near a voter registration center in the northern province of Baghlan killed five people and wounded four others, officials there said.

In the week since voter registration began, staff members have been abducted in the western province of Ghor, and at least one registration center came under rocket fire in Badghis Province in the country's northwest. In the eastern city of Jalalabad, gunmen on a motorcycle shot and killed two police officers guarding a voter registration center.

Officials said that even provincial capitals were struggling to open all voter registration centers. "There are 55 voter registration centers in Kunduz city and the villages that belong to the center, and 20 of them are closed because those villages are under Taliban control," said Gen. Abdul Hamid Hamidi, the police chief of Kunduz Province.

The country's parliamentary elections have been delayed by three years as the leaders of the coalition government, which came out of a messy presidential election that almost tore the country apart, debated measures to prevent the fraud that had marred previous elections.

After public disagreements that added to the voter fatigue, the leaders announced an October date for the elections. They also decided to declare void the millions of voter identification cards already in circulation, which have been used in vote rigging in the past.

Instead, they asked people to return to their local polling centers and register with their national ID cards. Officials and party leaders have expressed concern about the low response, especially after recent attacks targeting registration centers or their staff. In the first week of voter registration, just 190,000 people signed up - from what political parties estimated is a pool of about 14 million eligible voters.

"We are concerned about the rate of voter registration," said Bashir Ahmad Tayanj, a spokesman for the Junbish party, an Uzbek group. "If people don't take part in the election, it will be meaningless."

Security officials have said that close to 1,000 polling stations are completely beyond government control, while more than 2,000 others are in areas that are described as medium or high security risks. In total, there are about 7,355 polling stations in Afghanistan.

Fatima Faizi contributed reporting from Kabul, and Najim Rahim from Mazar e Sharif, Afghanistan.

A version of this article appears in print on , on Page A4 of the New York edition with the headline: Suicide Bomber Kills at Least 57 Afghans at Voter Registration Site in Kabul. Order Reprints | Today's Paper | Subscribe

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'So Many Bodies': Bomber Kills Dozens Signing Up to Vote in Kabul

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KABUL, Afghanistan - A suicide bomber killed at least 57 people on Sunday as they lined up at a government office in Kabul to register to vote, raising new concerns about the potential for violence to undermine Afghanistan's long-delayed parliamentary elections.

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‘God Bless America’: Freed American Prisoners Thankful After Being Released from North Korea

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‘God Bless America’: Freed American Prisoners Thankful After Being Released from North Korea

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Three Americans formerly held as prisoners in North Korea were released as a gesture of goodwill by Kim Jong Un. The first was Kim Dong-Chul, a resident of Fairfax, VA, who had been sentenced to 10 years of hard labor in April 2016 on charges of spying. A month before his trial, he supposedly apologized for attempting to steal military secrets. The second, Kim Hak-Song, was living in Pyongyang doing agricultural development work when he was accused of “hostile acts” in May of 2017. Tony Kim was accused of the same thing after being detained at the Pyongyang Airport as he was set to depart the country. All three men returned safely home.

Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un have set a time and place for a meeting, according to Trump’s own words. He has not specified anything about the location besides that it won’t be at the Demilitarized Zone. He has made his goal to denuclearize North Korea clear, but not what he plans to do about other concerns to the U.S. and its allies South Korea and Japan.

https://tinyurl.com/ycnawvda

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After exchanging harsh words on Twitter and comparing the sizes of their "nuclear buttons", President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un are finally meeting face to face. This meeting is happening on June 12th and it marks the first time a U.S. president has ever met a North Korean leader. Trump made the announcement about this meeting only a few hours after he welcomed three U.S. detainees from North Korea. He showed extreme excitement over this meeting saying, "I really think we have a very good chance of doing something very meaningful." Secretary of state Mike Pompeo actually traveled to Pyongyang to arrange the details of this meeting. The key issue that is expected to be talked about at this meeting is North Korea's nuclear weapons program. North Korea has tested six nuclear weapons since 2006 and Trump wants to make sure that never happens again by ending their nuclear program. This was an issue that Kim and Trump clashed on for many months, but within recent days, Kim has pledged to stop its tests. Political analysts warn about Kim's easy "give up" on the program and can foresee some ulterior motive behind this decision. Other key issues that are expected to be discussed are the U.S.'s 30,000 troop presence in South Korea, and the current sanctions placed on North Korea, which are hurting its economy. Trump and Kim plan to meet in Singapore. This place was chosen for it's neutral ties to North Korea and the U.S. The White Houses hopes for this to be a productive and insightful meeting, which might finally help everyone understand North Korea and its motives.

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First ever summit between sitting North Korean and US leaders will take place in Singapore on 12 June, Trump says

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Within 2018 alone, 10 buses have gone up in flames in Rome, Italy, the most recent of which occured only this past Tuesday. These two incidents, one taking place on a busy street flanked by shops, the other in the suburbs, mark the 9th and 10th buses respectively to fall victim to epidemic of fires. Roman passenger bus to go up in flames this year, the first of which exploded.
Clearly, this is an abnormally high amount of vehicles combusting in the Rome area.

Terrorism is not currently a concern. Rather, Roman citizens and authorities point their fingers at ATAC, Rome's department of transportation. ATAC has released a statement blaming the twin fires, the 8 predating them this year, and the further 22 in 2017, on mechanical issues and an aging fleet of buses, mentioning last year as being down from previous years.

Luckily, in both instances of passenger buses going up in flames, both drivers and passengers made it out unscathed. However, a woman working in a shop near one of these twin fires was burned and hospitalized for shock in the chaos.

ATAC has been prompted to replace their fleet, the current of which was deployed in 2003. They insist they are increasing fire-prevention methods. However, ATAC and Mayor Virginia Raggi have been facing widespread scrutiny on social media.

Sources: https://tinyurl.com/y9a8z9ve

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Deadly Uprising by ISIS Followers Shakes Indonesia's Prison System

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Deadly Uprising by ISIS Followers Shakes Indonesia's Prison System

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A high-security terrorist detention center located in the West Java town of Depok broke out in a riot on Tuesday night. This revolt began in a section that held 156 terrorism suspects and detainees when they seized dozens of weapons and attacked the guards.

This center had many faults which led to the easy take over by prisoners. In 2013 they were in the spotlight for having police personnel being prosecuted for crimes. It was also looked into for the lack of security within the facility since it was not designed as a maximum security detention for terrorist. So it was no surprise that they have had two terrorist riots in the last six months.

The riot came to an end on Thursday when counterterrorism officers managed to blast apart walls and fire tear gas in the prisoner occupied areas. The result of this riot was six dead, five guards and on prisoner. this act was confirmed one of ISIS when the Islamic State claimed responsibility.

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DEPOK, Indonesia - A day after Islamic State followers seizedpart of a high-security terrorist detention center and killed five guards, the country was left on Thursday with no shortage of questions to ponder.

The logical first one: How could this have happened?

Located in the sleepy West Java town of Depok, south of the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, the detention center is in a sprawling, heavily guarded compound of the local headquarters of the Mobile Brigade Corps, a paramilitary unit of the Indonesian National Police, and it was guarded by elite counterterrorism officers.

The uprising began with a riot Tuesday night in a section of the detention center holding 156 terrorism suspects and detainees, many of them accused of being violent, radical followers of the Islamic State's ideology. The detainees managed to seize dozens of weapons, attacked guards, and then took several of them hostage.

It ended Thursday morning with a mass surrender of the detainees after counterterrorism officers began blasting apart walls and firing tear gas into a cellblock where the men had holed up.

By the time the smoke finally cleared, five guards and one detainee were dead, the Islamic State gleefully had claimed responsibility, the Indonesian government was scrambling for answers, and the country's prison system was - once again - forced into an uncomfortable spotlight.

For years, the detention center only held police personnel being prosecuted for crimes, but in 2013, it began housing convicts and detainees suspected of terrorism who were believed to be violent and dangerous.

The detainees were housed in three blocks within the center, sometimes 10 men to a cell, which went against government regulations.

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Firearms, ammunition and other gear that the Indonesian police say was seized from guards and used by prisoners during the riot. Credit Indonesia's National Police, via Agence France-Presse - Getty Images

"This detention center was not designed as a maximum security facility to hold large numbers of high-risk terrorist inmates," said Leopold Sudaryono, an Indonesian doctoral scholar in criminology at Australian National University.

"The Ministry of Law and Human Rights had issued a regulation in 2017 requiring high-risk offenders be detained in isolation with very minimum physical interaction with other inmates or guards," he said. "This requirement cannot be carried out in this police facility. No wonder within a period of six months, two riots by terrorist inmates happened."

In November, a group of terrorism detainees incited a riot when guards searched cells for contraband including cellphones. Temporarily holding the guards at bay, the detainees took photographs and video of themselves brandishing the black flag of the Islamic State and shouting, "God is great."

Gatot Goei, program director of the Jakarta-based Center for Detention Studies, said this week's uprising showed that the guards, while members of a Western-trained antiterrorism unit, did not have the skills to handle violent outbreaks by prisoners.

"Their emergency response system fell apart when they were challenged - they lost the ability to begin an emergency response," he said. "In prisons, they have emergency response teams in case a guard is hurt."

Mr. Goei also noted that the detainees had been able to break doors and smash through walls to take over one of the detention blocks and seize weapons from their guards.

"The physical facilities were weak," he said, saying they were "different than most prisons in Indonesia that are under the Ministry of Law."

As the uprising was unfolding on Wednesday, the Islamic State's media arm uploaded graphic videos and photographs from inside the detention center, showing the bodies of dead guards who had been repeatedly stabbed and in some cases shot.

Counterterrorism officers on Thursday after the uprising at the detention center ended. Credit Mast Irham/EPA, via Shutterstock

Photographs showed detainees brandishing weapons, raising the Islamic State flag and pledging allegiance to its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

By Thursday morning, all 155 terrorism detainees were being transported under heavy guard to the maximum security prison island of Nusakambangan, off the south coast of Java Island, where the authorities separate high-risk prisoners from each other.

President Joko Widodo of Indonesia, speaking at the presidential palace in Jakarta on Thursday, said the government and public "will never be afraid and will never give room for terrorism and actions that will disrupt the country's security."

However, the Indonesian authorities apparently did not see or heed warnings about the police detention center's vulnerability. In February, the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict, a Jakarta-based research organization, warned in a report that the detention center was "a disaster waiting to happen" because of overcrowding in the detainee blocks. It also said there was no effort to offer counseling against violent extremist ideology to new arrivals.

In a 2016 report, the institute had warned that despite some small successes by the Indonesian government in managing extremist prisoners, "structural problems of the prison system and inadequate staff continue to defeat efforts at deradicalization, disengagement and rehabilitation."

Noor Huda Ismail, founder of the Institute of International Peace Building, which works to reintegrate former convicted terrorists back into Indonesian society, said the police detention center suffered from the same problems plaguing hundreds of state prisons across the country: overcrowding, lack of infrastructure to monitor high-risk detainees, and a shortage of human resources.

"Inmates always find ways to smuggle phones in, therefore they could live-stream the incident and mobilize support from outside the prison," he said.

Asked whether terrorist detainees among those involved in this week's uprising could ever be rehabilitated, Mr. Ismail said: "Well, at least we can disengage them from violence, but it will take a very long time to deradicalize them."

Follow Joe Cochrane on Twitter: @datelinejakarta.
Muktita Suhartono contributed reporting from Bangkok.

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Deadly Uprising by ISIS Followers Shakes Indonesia's Prison System

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DEPOK, Indonesia - A day after Islamic State followers seizedpart of a high-security terrorist detention center and killed five guards, the country was left on Thursday with no shortage of questions to ponder. The logical first one: How could this have happened?

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On June 12th The President of the United States of America and Kim Jong-Un are set to have a historical meeting at a neutral site in Singapore. Singapore is an isolated island country that has been home to previous meetings between world leaders. The main topics of discussion for the two leaders will be Nuclear Weapons in general, nuclear weapon testing, as well as peace between the two countries. June 12th is set to be a historical day in modern history!

The two leaders will be discussing the nuclear weapons that have been obtained by North Korea. North Korea has fought vigorously to obtain a fairly respectable amount of nuclear weapons in the past but, President Trump has plans to hopefully attempt to denuclearize North Korea. North Korea has stated in the past there reasoning for nuclear weapons is strictly for its own defense and security. If North Korea agrees to denuclearize, there is very strong chance that they will ask for the 30,000 US military troops to leave South Korea in exchange. This past April the leaders of both Koreas agreed to attempt to denuclearize the peninsula.  Now with Trump meeting Kim Jong-Un there is an even greater chance that North Korea agrees to denuclearize.

The two leaders will also be discussing and hopefully agreeing to a peace agreement between the two countries. Previously the two leaders have taken dramatic 'shots' at each other on twitter which the general public has seen as nerve racking. Currently North Korea is the largest threat to the United States due to the fact that there weapons of mass destruction can reach U.S. coast lines. This meeting will hopefully ensure peace between the two countries as well as hopefully a new "friend" in the world.

The finial topic of discussion that will be touched at this historical meeting will be the unprecedented testing of nuclear weapons by North Korea. Since 2006 North Korea has supposedly tested 6 nuclear weapons in underground testing facilities. Despite international sanctions North Korea has disobeyed these sanctions and continued to test there weapons of mass destruction. Kim Jong-Un has agreed to shut down a nuclear test site ahed of the meeting which further helps President Trumps case. It is rumored that a nuclear test site in a Mountain in North Korea recently collapsed due to a nuclear weapon test.

As President Trump said, "I think we have a very good chance to do something very meaningful." This historical meeting is a little over a month away but is highly anticipated by people around the world. This meeting will hopefully resolve many issues the U.S. and North Korea have with each other as well as hopefully kickstart a new international friend. As the highly anticipated meeting swiftly approaches new topics of discussion will be released and I will be sure to keep you up tp date.

https://tinyurl.com/y7bjwx2s

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Since 2013 depression in American teens has skyrocketed by 47% leading to all kind of other mental and physical health disorders. Teen girls are the ones who are affected the most by depression and have had 65% more cases since 2013. Dr. Trent Haywood of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association(BCBSA) said that depression and chronic conditions are “bi-directional” meaning you can start with one and end up with the other. Some of the chronic conditions that are linked with depression include: Heart disease, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis and Alzheimer's. The BCBSA reported that 41 million Americans had some sort of depression. This is up by 33% since 2013. Another report showed that women are more likely to have depression than men. But the most interesting thing about depression is that it shortens your lifespan by 9.7 years on average.

https://tinyurl.com/yazo7bef

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A "Record Level" of Small Businesses are Growing Their Profits

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A "Record Level" of Small Businesses are Growing Their Profits

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A regularly published Small Business Economic Trends Survey has been pointing in an upward direction for more than a year, meaning that small businesses are turning greater a greater profits. These increased profits are leading to optimism in the small business world, consequently leading to increased wages, jobs, and investments. The report cites lower taxes, less regulatory barriers, and more consumer spending as the reasons for the surge in optimism. More than 1 in 5 small businesses are expecting higher sales over the next few months. The survey, which has been released quarterly since 1973, and monthly since 1985, was based on responses from 1,200 to 2,000 small business owners in April, and the numbers are looking up. #1% of small businesses have also increased wages, and 43 are planning to make more investments. The only part that most people miss is the other side of it. If 43% are planning to invest, what are the other 53% planning, if 1 in 5 are reporting increased sales, what is happening with the other 80% of the respondents? And if 31% have increased worker wages, when will the remaining 69% be doing the same? I prefer to look at the brighter side of things, and understand that while this world and its economy are not perfect and will probably never be, the numbers are unquestionably moving up, and these strong numbers mean that the small business industry (yes, I understand the irony in that sentence) is becoming stronger, and things are looking pretty good for the upcoming year.

https://tinyurl.com/ybj9ytdh
" NFIB: A ‘record level’ of small businesses are growing their profits"
May 8, 2018

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F.D.A. Moves to Stop Rogue Clinics From Using Unapproved Stem Cell Therapies

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F.D.A. Moves to Stop Rogue Clinics From Using Unapproved Stem Cell Therapies

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On May 9, 2018, the F.D.A. unapproved two cliniques of using stem cell treatments. These treatments have failed multiple times causing harm to many paintians. The treatment usually requires fat to be removed from the body and then the injection of the stem cells in specific parts of the boddie. The two unapproved clinics are the U.S. Stem Cell Clinic with the owner, Kristin Comella and the California Stem Cell Treatment Center with the owner Dr. Elliot B. Lander and Dr. Mark Berman.

“while violating current good manufacturing practice requirements, including some that could impact the sterility of their products, putting patients at risk,” -F.D.A.

These injuries were so severe that the some patients even lost their eye sights and also had a serious form of inflammation to their body tissues and hearts. In 2017 Ms.Comella Stated “clinics do not need F.D.A. approval because they are treating patients with their own cells, which are not a drug.”  Dr. Berman agreed to this and had also said how the stem cell treatment has helped many lives. He tried to compromise with the F.D.A. about this but did not succeed.

In August, Dr. Scott Gottlieb, the agency’s commissioner (F.D.A.), vowed to try and allow for researchers to develop legitimate treatments.

He also started to take down the clinics making false claims of unsafe treatments.

I completely disagree with Ms.Comella’s ideas. The risk of these unapproved treatments are too high and are destructive. The clineques should be kept a close eye on to make sure that there aren't any scammers taking advantage of the consumers with the false treatments.

https://tinyurl.com/ychr2htr

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Stadium Construction Causes Unsafe Amounts of Dust in the Community

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Stadium Construction Causes Unsafe Amounts of Dust in the Community

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As workers put up the soon-to-be-completed D.C. United soccer stadium, they’re also making a big problem- pollution. The transformation of the area has been irritating Buzzard Point, the neighborhood, with clouds of dust and soil. “Some days, it’s like living in a desert storm,” Rhonda Hamilton, a resident said. She explained how the neighborhood’s elderly residents have been complaining about how their eyes and lungs have been burning. Children with asthma have also been having flare-ups, which is scaring many. An air-quality monitor was set up in the neighborhood, and has been registering levels of “fugitive dust,” meaning that they exceed safety limits. As citizens call for less dust, the program keeps working on the stadium, which is to be finished in July.
Article title: New stadium, new restaurants, and more dust and pollution for the poorest residents of Southwest Washington
Article date: May 6, 2018
Link:  https://tinyurl.com/yak9b5yb

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India’s Cities Are Some of the Most Polluted On the Planet

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India’s Cities Are Some of the Most Polluted On the Planet

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The city of Kanpur, India, is the most polluted city in the world, with the highest PM2.5 levels (PM2.5 is a particle used by the World Health organization to gauge pollution).  Fourteen of the twenty most polluted cities are in India, and pollution deaths are far too common.  It is estimated that 3.8 million people died from polluted food and cooking technologies in 2016 alone.  Over the past few decades, India has seen rapid growth in industrialization, but there has also been an increase in pollution.  China is one of the most polluted countries.  However, China has created regulation limiting the amount of pollution being produced in cities.  Because India’s industrialization is so recent, regulations for pollution have not been created.  These regulations are needed because, in Kanpur, the average pollution level is seventeen times over the safe limit of  PM2.5, and in Delhi, India’s capital, the pollution has spiked to seventy times the safe limit.  Over three billion people breath smoke from unsafe stoves everyday.  Nine out of every ten people breathing polluted air is unacceptable and these numbers should be reduced to less than one in ten.  The fact that over four million people died in 2016 from air pollution related illnesses shows these regulations are long overdue.

Original Article: India Cities Dominate World Air Pollution List

Posted: 2 May, 2018

https://tinyurl.com/y8sln7gs

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Education Could be the Key to Stopping Violence in School

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Education Could be the Key to Stopping Violence in School

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In the past decade, there has been an increase in school attacks in developing countries.  In the eastern Ghouta region of Syria, nearly 1,900 children were killed in 2014.  Many of these attacks are terrorism related and are either bombings or kidnappings.  Around one in four children live in countries ravaged by war and other conflicts.  Many of these children live in fear of going to school because of the acts they see take place at school every day.  These attacks are increasing because many schools have been destroyed and many teachers have been killed, which prevents kids from getting an education.  Without an education, the young adults of these countries will have no experience and may turn to one of the only things school taught them, violence.  Watching other children getting killed can make people turn to extremism and cause more school conflicts.  Many children take going to school for granted, but education is one of the most important thing a child can receive.  Without every child having the opportunity for a good education, the world will never truly be equal.  Over 263 million children do not have a school to attend.  The UN has not been able to make a significant impact on helping children in developing and war-torn countries get an education.

Original Article: Why Protecting Education Would Prevent Terrorism

Author: Moza Bint Nasser

Posted: April 26, 2018

https://tinyurl.com/ybjd8gze

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Honduras are Being Deported After Temporary Protection Status End 

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Honduras are Being Deported After Temporary Protection Status End 

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In 1999, Hurricane Mitch crossed Central America leaving ten thousand people dead.  Eighty six thousand Hondurans immigrated to the United States seeking protection from the hurricane, and fifty thousand still remain in the U.S.  After nineteen years, President Trump’s administration is ending the Temporary Protection Status (TPS) that allowed the immigrants from Honduras to live in the United States. Many different forms of TPS exist, including the recent allocation by President Trump to allow seven thousand Syrians to enter the country.  The administration has been closing many of these TPSs throughout President Trump’s term.  The President’s administration has said that Honduras has made “substantial progress in post-hurricane recovery,” giving justification for the twenty month notice sent to those under TPS from Hurricane Mitch.  On January 5, 2020, all Hondurans under TPS are expected to leave the country.  Many of the people have lived here for the majority of their lives and should not be forced to leave their jobs and homes, especially after so many years.  People opposed to the President’s administration say this is a way for President Trump to increase his immigration control and to deport more people.  Honduras is one of the most violent countries in the world, making it it likely that many people who will be deported will arrive at the U.S. border seeking safety for a second time

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Original Article: Trump administration ends protections for 50,000 Hondurans living in U.S. since 1999

Author: Nick Miroff

Posted: 4 May, 2018

https://tinyurl.com/y849bldy

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15 Killed in Afghan Attacks as Taliban Increases Territory

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15 Killed in Afghan Attacks as Taliban Increases Territory

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15 people were killed Wednesday, May 9, in three separate attacks in Afghanistan. 6 local policeman were also killed in an airstrike that insurgents are blaming on the American military. Gunmen and 🤬 bombers launched what appear to be simultaneous attacks on the capital, Kabul, one close to the offices of the Asian Development Bank, and another in the western part of the city at the Police Headquarters. The Islamic State military group claimed responsibility for the Kabul police station, and the Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack near the bank. These attacks come one day after the Taliban took control of two northern districts, further expanding their territory. In the attack on the bank, a 🤬 bomber and four gunmen attempted to enter the compound, and continued the fight from an adjacent building under construction after being repelled by guards. It is safe to say these acts if aggression were appalling. To 🤬, people not out of self defense or preservation, but greed is an act that cannot, and will not go without consequence. Maybe not by the hands of the Afghan government, or any government for that matter, but eventually there will be someone string enough to end this tyranny. There is currently a three-way domestic war in Afghanistan between the Taliban, the Islamic State military group, and the recognized government, and it is forcing citizens into the crossfire, some even driven to the point of taking the self defense of their country into their own hands, as shown by the group of civilians that warded off attackers from the police station after the police fled. The recognized government is now only in control of 65% of the land, and at the rate this fight is going, the roles may very soon be reversed, as the Taliban will become the recognized government, and vice versa.

https://tinyurl.com/ycspkzm6
"Militants 🤬 15 in Afghan Attacks, as Taliban Expand Their Control"
May 9, 2018

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California to require solar power for new houses.

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California to require solar power for new houses.

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California has been a long standing leader in clean energy and on Wednesday May 9th, they took another huge step forward. California is now the first state to require all new homes have solar power. This requirement is supposed to take effect in 2020 and it's also supposed to drive the cost of home right up. Around $8000 to $12000 to be exact. This is a difficult issue considering a shortage of affordable housing is a big problem in California, but this new regulation was actually a unanimous vote. State officials and activists say that the higher price of homes will be made up for with much cheaper energy costs in the long run. They are estimating that consumers will save around $80 a month on energy. Bob Raymer, who is the senior engineer for the California Building Industry Association stated that, “This adoption of these standards represents a quantum leap, you can bet every state will be watching to see what happens.”  New Jersey, Massachusetts and Washington, D.C. have all made requirements that new houses be "solar ready", but no state has come close to California's possessiveness with this issue.

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SACRAMENTO - Long a leader and trendsetter in its clean-energy goals, California took a giant step on Wednesday, becoming the first state to require all new homes to have solar power.

The new requirement, to take effect in two years, brings solar power into the mainstream in a way it has never been until now. It will add thousands of dollars to the cost of home when a shortage of affordable housing is one of California's most pressing issues.

That made the relative ease of its approval - in a unanimous vote by the five-member California Energy Commission before a standing-room crowd, with little debate - all the more remarkable.

State officials and clean-energy advocates say the extra cost to home buyers will be more than made up in lower energy bills. That prospect has won over even the construction industry, which has embraced solar capability as a selling point.

"This adoption of these standards represents a quantum leap," Bob Raymer, senior engineer for the California Building Industry Association, said during the public comments before the vote. "You can bet every state will be watching to see what happens."

Several California cities have required that some new buildings include solar power, or have made commitments to 100 percent clean energy through various sources. New Jersey, Massachusetts and Washington, D.C., have also considered legislation to require that new buildings be solar-ready, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. And Hawaii is among the states that have mandated other energy-efficiency measures, like solar water heaters.

But California's move is by far the boldest and most consequential of any.

California law requires at least 50 percent of the state's electricity to come from noncarbon-producing sources by 2030. Solar power has increasingly become a driver in the growth of the state's alternative energy production.

And a new rate structure coming next year will charge California customers based on the time of day they use electricity. So homeowners with energy-efficiency features - a battery in particular, allowing energy to be stored for when it is most efficiently used - will avoid higher costs.

"Any additional amount in the mortgage is more than offset," said Andrew McAllister, an Energy Commission member who led a building-code review that produced the proposal. "It's good for the customer."

The building-code change is one dimension of a broader transition away from centralized power. As with the breakup of the phone monopoly, which allowed customers to choose providers and shop for rates, changes in the way energy is delivered put more control into consumers' hands.

Those goals have been furthered with smart meters that help control consumption, along with a choice of electricity retailers in many places. And with a combination of residential solar power and battery storage, homeowners can minimize their resort to the grid altogether.

At the end of 2017, California was by far the nation's leader in installed solar capacity. Solar power provides almost 16 percent of the state's electricity, and the industry employs more than 86,000 workers.

Under the new requirements, builders must take one of two steps: make individual homes available with solar panels, or build a shared solar-power system serving a group of homes. In the case of rooftop panels, they can either be owned outright and rolled into the home price, or made available for lease on a monthly basis.

The requirement is expected to add $8,000 to $12,000 to the cost of a home.

"Our druthers would have been to have this delayed another two or three years," said Mr. Raymer of the building-industry group. But he was not surprised. "We've known this was coming," he said. "The writing was on the wall."

For residential homeowners, based on a 30-year mortgage, the Energy Commission estimates that the standards will add about $40 to an average monthly payment, but save consumers $80 on monthly heating, cooling and lighting bills.

Will Clever, a 67-year-old retired correctional officer, moved into a new house six months ago in Roseville, about 20 miles northeast of Sacramento, where the developer KB Home offered the buy-or-lease option for solar panels.

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An array of solar panels in Oakland, Calif. Solar power provides almost 16 percent of the state's electricity. Credit Lucy Nicholson/Reuters

Not having the $14,000 it would cost to buy the panels, he chose a 20-year lease from SunPower, the nation's No. 2 commercial solar-power company, for $76 a month.

The Sacramento area can have brutal summers, and having once lived in Phoenix, "I didn't want to pay a fortune," he said. "I was looking for a way of fixing my costs."

So far, he considers it money in the bank. "As electricity costs go up, I don't have to worry about it," Mr. Clever said.

California averages about 80,000 new homes a year, with about 15,000 currently including solar installations. Over all, at the current rate of home building, the new requirement will increase the annual number of rooftop solar installations by 44 percent.

The approved requirement is expected to give a strong lift to California's already hot solar market.

"This is a very large market expansion for solar," said Lynn Jurich, co-founder and chief executive of Sunrun, a leading solar installation company. "It's very cost effective to do it this way, and customers want it."

"There's also this real American sense of freedom of producing electricity on my rooftop," Ms. Jurich said. "And it's another example of California leading the way."

A strategic plan drafted by the California Public Utilities Commission in 2008 called for all new construction by 2020 to have net-zero energy needs - that is, to produce enough electricity on their own to avoid having to buy it from the power grid.

The Energy Commission's plan is less ambitious. It requires new homes to have a solar-power system of a minimum 2 to 3 kilowatts, depending mostly on the size of the home. Residential solar arrays are typically two to three times that size, often enough to put power into the grid.

In fact, the state itself generates so much solar and wind power that it must sometimes halt production at some facilities or give the electricity away to other states to avoid overloading the electric grid.

And there may be a downside for some consumers in the increasing reliance on alternative energy sources.

San Diego Gas and Electric, for instance, said it hoped the state would ensure that utilities can generate enough revenue to operate the electric grid, as homeowners who can afford solar leave those less fortunate to pick up the cost of running the electric system.

"It's a growing problem," Tim Carmichael, state agency relations manager for the utility, told the commission. "It's hurting families that can't afford solar. We continue to support solar growth. We want to ensure that program structure is appropriate."

The utility industry has been preparing for the proliferation of energy-producing homes by studying its impact on the electric grid with tests like a net-zero community developed in Fontana, east of Los Angeles. The utilities are trying to determine how to manage a system where homes are putting electricity onto the grid during the day and consuming it at night.

"We've been working towards it," said Ram Narayanamurthy, technical executive at the Electric Power Research Institute, a nonprofit group that does research for the nation's power companies. "What we think we will see is greater and greater efficiency."

The Fontana research has shown that with a combination of energy-efficiency measures and solar power, the overall cost of owning a home is reduced, he said.

The commission members saw their vote as advancing that vision of the future. "I'm really happy to get this to the finish line," Mr. McAllister said. "One big step for mankind."

A version of this article appears in print on , on Page B1 of the New York edition with the headline: Solar Power to Be Required For New Homes in California. Order Reprints | Today's Paper | Subscribe

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California Will Require Solar Power for New Homes

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SACRAMENTO - Long a leader and trendsetter in its clean-energy goals, California took a giant step on Wednesday, becoming the first state to require all new homes to have solar power. The new requirement, to take effect in two years, brings solar power into the mainstream in a way it has never been until now.

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Are the Nuclear test sites in North Korea really shutting down?

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Are the Nuclear test sites in North Korea really shutting down?

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New Evidence is showing that the nuclear test site in North Korea are being closed down. New Satellite images are showing buildings that used to be present not being there in anymore. This is suggesting that Kim Jong Un is sticking to his pledge he made earlier this month. Others are looking at this situation as a cover up and that he is trying to trick other countries. Images show a steady reduction in the amount of buildings within the test site. Although this seems to be great news we are still watching incase it is all just a cover up. Yet we are also drawn in by the fact the Kim Jong Un made peace with South Koreas President. Also the fact that he has agreed to have a meeting with President Trump on June 12. Kim Jong In has also stated that he will have journalists and others come with him to document the closing of the sites. If he follows through with this, connections with Korea would improve.
https://tinyurl.com/ya8qh48q

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Healthcare Price per Doctor Visit can be Different because of your Provider 

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Healthcare Price per Doctor Visit can be Different because of your Provider 

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There is a theory that has evidence to prove that insurance companies charge way too high for doing the same thing. An example used is an MRI. At one hospital different insurance companies charged their patients differently for the scan of the lower limb even though they we're getting the same treatment. One had to pay significantly more than the other. This is one way that shows how expensive it is to have healthcare in America. Everyone should have access to healthcare and be able to take care of their sick children regardless. There are countries like Britain that have free healthcare to its citizens. An insurance bill could come up to $700 just to make sure that you and your family are healthy. There needs to be changes in the healthcare system to help the ones who can’t afford this. Because I think that everyone should be cared for rich or poor. I know it’s very hard to get the funds to pay for everyone’s healthcare but I think it should be a goal for Americans as a whole.https://tinyurl.com/y95efgrd

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Iranian Forces Fire Rockets at Israeli Military in First Direct Attack Ever, Israel’s Army Says

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Iranian Forces Fire Rockets at Israeli Military in First Direct Attack Ever, Israel’s Army Says

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An Israeli military spokesman stated that the missiles fired towards their position in the Golan Heights by Iran were fired by the Quds Force, a special forces unit associated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps. That would make this the first time Iran has directly fired onto Israeli troops. Nobody was injured on the Israeli side, mostly due to the fact that many rockets were intercepted by its missile defense system. However, the Syrian state news agency reported that Syrian air defenses had responded to missiles fired by Israel on the town of Quneitra, just east of the Golan Heights. It later reported a “new wave” of attacks.

President Trump’s decision to pull the U.S. out of the nuclear deal with Iran had a major impact in giving it less of a reason to show restraint in confronting Israel. While Trump was announcing the withdrawal, residents of Golan were told to open their bomb shelters for the first time during seven years of civil war. 62% of Israelis believe that a war is imminent, and a former White House coordinator for arms control and WMDs said that Iran will eventually retaliate against Israeli military sites in the north. However, neither side wants a full-blown war, and there is debate over how to proceed.

https://tinyurl.com/ydxu6vor

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Genetic engineering is the term used to describe scientists deliberately modifying genetic material of an organism to change its characteristics. It’s a controversial practice, that raises religious, cultural, and ethical concerns for many people. A recent breakthrough due to genetic engineering of plants though, despite these concerns, should be seen as highly beneficial because of its potential benefits to mankind. A team of Chinese scientists, led by Kexuan Tang of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, have discovered a way in which to produce more of the most successful malaria treatment by modifying the plant that is used to create it. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates malaria killed 445,000 people in 2016 alone and effected close to 216 million people, making this breakthrough an enormous beneficial development.

The plant that was modified is called Artemisia annua and it usually only creates a small amount of the drug “artemisinin” in its leaves. The scientists however have now found a way to alter this drug to produce three times more of the drug than a normal plant makes. They were able to do this by simultaneously increasing the activity of three genes (HMGR, FPS, and DBR2). Dr. Tang is hopeful that his team’s research will increase the supply of malaria treatment so those in need can have access to treatment. However, he will wrongly face barriers to growing his genetically engineered plants as some countries have laws against genetically engineered plants, which do not make sense in light of this huge endemic.

https://tinyurl.com/y8tccwpd

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Ever since the nineteen seventies  there has been an amphibian death plague roaming this earth. Scientist were very interested because they were very worried that this would spread to humans. Luckily it hasn't and they have actually made some progress in finding ground zero. The ground zero for the development of the aquatic fungus called Batrachochytrium Dendrobatidis was found in Korea. This flesh eating fungus is responsible for the extinction of more than two hundred different amphibian species, mostly frogs. Biologists are calling it the worst pathogen the world has ever seen, it is more deadly than ebola or the plague. It targets amphibians due to their large pores in their skin that is used for breathing and drinking water. It first unspools the skin and then feeds on the amino acids and eventually causing  heart failure. Biologists think that it started in Korea du to the Korean War or some sort of big disaster event. It later spread to the Americas, Africa, Europe, and Australia. It spread so quickly due to humans and migration of other animals. Scientists are trying to find a cure for this plague so they can stop the spread of it and stop it from evolving into a form that humans can contract.

I hope that we never have to see the day when the human species are plagued by this and I hope that no one ever has to live through this. Luckily there are amazing scientists out there. Hope you liked my blog on the great amphibian d https://tinyurl.com/yctvh235 eath plague.

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Seas are rising too fast to save much of the Mississippi River Delta, scientist say

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Seas are rising too fast to save much of the Mississippi River Delta, scientist say

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In the state if Louisiana, there's been wetlands that have been vanishing, due to the seas rising. Scientists use the methodology called "Optical dating".Study shows how the river built a certain area called the Lafourche subdelta in the coastal Louisiana, where a lot of the Mississippi loads of sediments are dumped. By using "Optical dating" and technology it helps scientist verify and identify when was the last encounter the sand and the sunlight were exposed. Therefore, by determining the rate at which the river was naturally gaining more land and at the same time carrying sediment downstream. It was found that on average of land per year was between 6 and 8 square kilometers of land. Studies reports that wetlands loss is more like 45 square kilometers a year, or more than one acre an in hour. These wetlands are valuable to the communities to humans. It helps prevent New Orleans from hurricanes and sea level rise. It's also plays a major part for the animals that live in these wetlands. Sea level rising is occurring much faster than when the Bayou Lafourche was constructed. Recent rates is about 3.2 millimeters per year, but it's possibly moving a lot faster.
http://alturl.com/b7p7o
http://alturl.com/abku2 (The studies they've made.)

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Missile Strikes in Northern Syria: 26 reportedly dead 4 Syrians and 22 Iranians  

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Missile Strikes in Northern Syria: 26 reportedly dead 4 Syrians and 22 Iranians  

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Syrian military facilities in Hama and Aleppo provinces were struck by an unknown attacker. Reports from a Syrian state owned newspaper quoted sources as saying the missiles were fired from U.S.-British bases in Northern Jordan. But the SOHR says it is most likely the missiles were fired from Israel. Israeli Intelligence Minister Yisrael Katz responds that he wasn’t aware of the situation that occured in Syria. Israel is still the main suspect as they don’t want Iranian forces to establish a military presence in Syria. Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said "the time of hitting and running is gone...Now if you hit, you will be hit back."
https://tinyurl.com/ycu6hy4t

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Bill Gates Announces $158 Million Donation for Fighting Poverty

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Bill Gates Announces $158 Million Donation for Fighting Poverty

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In pursuit of fighting against poverty in the U.S., Bill Gates has announced on May 3 that he’ll be donating $158 million towards data projects and community activists over the next four years with his private foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. He, along with the Urban Institute, has been creating ideas that benefit national and global communities. He plans to broaden his agenda and advocate for issues such as wage gaps, racism and better job opportunities. It’s unclear how he’ll make it happen however it’s known that the foundation’s expectations include funding pilot projects and research that support his ideas. The Gates Foundation will continue to reform American education and attempt to reshape American schools; he hopes that his philanthropic resources and impact will lead to new policies that will target poverty reduction. Hopefully, the initiative he’s taking to combat poverty inspires other philanthropists to improve social reforms. Society needs these basic resources as a living standard in order to thrive as a community. However, poverty takes these life necessities away from people, shortening life expectancy, socially excluding individuals, damaging their mental health and reducing the number of opportunities provided; as a result, the American Dream is unachievable for these individuals.
https://tinyurl.com/ydanoefx

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Mormon church ends their association with the Boy Scouts

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Mormon church ends their association with the Boy Scouts

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After almost a century of the Mormon church participating in scouting, the church just announced on Tuesday, May 8, that they would sever all ties with the Boy Scouts of America. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) have always been very invested in scouting. Mormon boys have made up 18.5 percent of the 2.3 million scouts out there. Becoming a scout was almost automatic for the Mormons. A former president of the church, President Thomas S. Monson, was a longtime member of the executive board and major supporter. He died earlier this year. The LDS church announced that they will be introducing a new youth program that’s more gospel-centered in place of the scouting program.
Article title:

The Mormon Church Is Cutting Its Century-Old Ties With the Boy Scouts

Article date: May 9, 2018
Link:  https://tinyurl.com/ycn8bsqn

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New Ebola Outbreak: Congo Confirms After 2 Confirmed Cases

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New Ebola Outbreak: Congo Confirms After 2 Confirmed Cases

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In the Democratic Republic of Congo, a new Ebola outbreak is said to have started after 2 confirmed cases and 17 deaths possibly related to the virus. The fatal cases were said to have been found in the town of Bikoro. Two of these cases came back positive and were then confirmed by The Health Ministry. The ministry stated that this was an "international health emergency" but that they have the human resources well trained to quickly control epidemics. This will be the Congo's ninth recorded outbreak of Ebola. Though no new deaths have occurred since May 3 the World Health Organization is not quitting and continues to do samples and tests. The organization said they are working with the Congo government to scale up it's operations and mobilize it's health partners to stop this outbreak from going any further. The White House is said to have cut 252 million dollars from their International's Development Budget to extend to Ebola response money. I think the WHO and the Congo government are doing the right thing by responding to this early on. I also think that the US is doing the right thing by responding early and sending over the response money quickly. From previous outbreaks like the Ebola outbreak in 2014, we know that this virus can spread very quickly. By sending resources and acting quickly, the spread of the virus will stop.
https://tinyurl.com/y8vcrx3z

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Iran's first ever direct attack on Israel

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Iran's first ever direct attack on Israel

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Early Thursday morning, Israeli citizens in the Golan Heights area weren't woken by alarm clocks, instead they woke to the sound of 20 Iranian missiles being rocketed towards them. Luckily Israel's missile defense system, appropriately called the "Iron Dome", intercepted the missiles with no harm done to any citizens. A spokesperson for the IDF (Israeli Defense Force) states that "the rockets were fired by Iran’s Quds Force, a special forces unit affiliated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, marking the first time Iranian forces have ever fired directly on Israeli troops." The IDF also stated that it "views this event with great severity and remains prepared for a wide variety of scenarios." However, the Syrian state news agency stated that "it was Israel that had fired on targets near the town of Quneitra, located just east of the Golan Heights. Syrian air defenses had responded." The sound of the air raid sirens are quite normal to hear in the Golan Heights area since Syria's civil war is happening right across the border, but the sirens are becoming quite real within the past few days. Rumors of war and fears of what is to come is rapidly spreading across Israel. Tensions have especially grown after President Trump's decision to pull the United States out of the Iran nuclear deal. Analysis say that this is now giving Iran even less of a reason to be cautions in confrontations with Israel.

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Two 19th-Century Shipwrecks Discovered During Search for Flight MH370

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Two 19th-Century Shipwrecks Discovered During Search for Flight MH370

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Since March of 2014 experts have been searching the indian ocean desperate to find the Malaysian Airlines flight MH370, which disappeared mysteriously.
During the search two shipwrecks in 2015 were found just 1,430 miles out from the coast of Australia. As of last week the ships were identified as 19th-century merchant vessels.
The research was then handed over to a museum that studied the data to come to a conclusion as to where the ships originated from.
A curator of maritime archeology came up with the conclusion that they "can narrow the possibilities to some prime candidates" of one of the ships that was made in wood. One of which being the W. Gordon that was lost at sea in June of 1876. Another was the barque Magdala, which vanished in 1882. As for the other ship, it is believed to be the West Ridge which disappeared on a voyage from England to India in 1883.
Both ships had the capacity to hold crews up to 30 men so the sinking of these ships would have been a devastating impact on communities.

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The Western Australian Museum has put forth several suggestions for the identities of the sunken vessels

smithsonian.com

For the past four years, experts have been searching the Indian Ocean in the hopes of finding Malaysian Airlines flight MH370, which vanished under mysterious circumstances in March of 2014. With the exception of several pieces of debris, these searches have not been able to locate the plane. But during the hunt for MH370, researchers discovered the remains of two shipwrecks that went missing in the 19th century, as the Associated Press reports.

The submerged ships were found some 1,430 miles off the coast of Australia in 2015, during a nearly three-year, state-sponsored search by Malaysia, China and Australia. (That initiative came to an end last year, but the Malaysian government has since approved a new attempt by a private American-based company to locate MH370.) Last week, the Western Australian Museum announced that it had identified the ships as 19th-century merchant vessels, which had been transporting cargo holds of coal when they sank to the ocean floor.

Museum experts were approached by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau to review sonar and video data collected during the search for MH370. Because records of ships lost in the area during the 1800s are incomplete, the museum was not able to conclusively determine the identity of the shipwrecks. But Ross Anderson, the museum's curator of maritime archaeology, reveals in a press release that experts "can narrow the possibilities to some prime candidates based on available information from predominantly British shipping sources."

One of the wrecks was a wooden ship, which, according to David Williams of CNN, is in a state of advanced degradation. The remains of the cargo and various metal implements (like anchors and fittings) are still visible, but the vessel's hull structures and timbers have vanished.

Anderson believes that this ship may have been the W. Gordon, which was lost at sea after the brig departed Cape Town, South Africa in June 1876, during a voyage from Clyde, Glasgow to Adelaide, Australia. Another possible candidate is the barque Magdala, which disappeared in 1882 while traveling from Penarth, Wales to Ternate, Indonesia. Whatever the identity of the vessel, it appears to have come to a violent end. The ship's cargo was found scattered across the seabed, suggesting that it went down "as a result of a catastrophic event such as explosion, which was common in the transport of coal cargoes," Anderson explains in the statement.

The second wreck, which is made of iron, is in better condition than the first. It lies upright on the bottom of the Indian Ocean, and experts were able to determine that it once had at least two decks. Analysis of a coal sample retrieved from the site suggests that the ship was British in origin. Anderson believes the vessel is most likely the West Ridge, which disappeared on a voyage from Liverpool, England to Bombay, India in 1883.

Both sunken ships would have held crews of between 15 and 30 men, according to Anderson, and it is possible that additional passengers were on board. Sea captains, for instance, sometimes took their wives and children with them on international voyages.

"Then, as now," Anderson says in the statement, "the disappearance of so many lives would have had a devastating impact on maritime families and communities."

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Two 19th-Century Shipwrecks Discovered During Search for Flight MH370

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smithsonian.com For the past four years, experts have been searching the Indian Ocean in the hopes of finding Malaysian Airlines flight MH370, which vanished under mysterious circumstances in March of 2014. With the exception of several pieces of debris, these searches have not been able to locate the plane.

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Bombing at mosque in Afghanistan kills 14, wounds 33

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Bombing at mosque in Afghanistan kills 14, wounds 33

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On May 6, 2018, a 🤬 bomber attacked a mosque in Khost, Afghanistan that was being used as a voter registration center leaving at least 14 people dead and 33 injured. The bomb went off while people were praying and getting their voter registration cards for the upcoming election in October. Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, denied that they were involved. There are suspicions towards the Taliban and Islamic State group regardless of their denial because they both discard democratic elections and have targeted the capital, Kabul and elsewhere in the past. This horrible act of terrorism has impacted many innocent lives and more action should be taken upon this issue with the Taliban and the IS.

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A bomb blast inside a mosque in eastern Afghanistan that was being used as a voter registration center killed at least 14 people and wounded 33, officials said on Sunday.

Talib Mangal, spokesman for the provincial governor in Khost, said that there was one female among those killed in the attack. "The blast happened while people were busy with prayers, meanwhile in other part of the mosque people had gathered to get their voter registration cards for the election," he added.

Afghanistan plans to hold elections in October, the first since 2014.

Habib Shah Ansari, the provincial head of public health, also confirmed the toll from the attack in the city of Khost, the capital of the province of the same name.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid denied the group's involvement. "We reject any kind of involvement in this incident," he said.

Both the Taliban and a local affiliate of the Islamic State group reject democratic elections and have targeted them in the past. IS is not known to have a presence in Khost, but has expanded its footprint into other areas in recent years.

Last month, an Islamic State suicide bomber attacked a voter registration center in Kabul, killing 60 people and wounding at least 130 others.

The Taliban and IS have launched a relentless wave of attacks since the start of the year, killing scores of civilians in the capital, Kabul, and elsewhere. Afghan security forces have struggled to combat the groups since the U.S. and NATO concluded their combat mission at the end of 2014, switching to a counterterrorism and support role.

Elsewhere in Afghanistan, a vehicle carrying shopkeepers on their way to a market struck a roadside bomb in Afghanistan's northern Faryab province, killing seven of them. Police spokesman Karim Yuresh said another civilian was wounded in Sunday's attack, in an area where both the Taliban and IS are active.

In the eastern Paktia province, a car bomb killed two people and wounded another three. Abdullah Hsart, the provincial governor's spokesman, said the attack late Saturday targeted Hazart Mohammad Rodwal, a district chief, who was among the wounded. The Taliban claimed the attack.

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Bombing at mosque in Afghanistan kills 14, wounds 33

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A bomb blast inside a mosque in eastern Afghanistan that was being used as a voter registration center killed at least 14 people and wounded 33, officials said on Sunday. Talib Mangal, spokesman for the provincial governor in Khost, said that there was one female among those killed in the attack.

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Poverty is no stranger to the country of Armenia. While almost 12% of the population lives under the poverty line, those above it aren’t doing much better. Some were paying the tax collector bribes to keep up, and not just any bribes- they had to pay them in fish. The former president of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan had been in office for a decade, and as one of his last amendments, he made the Prime Minister’s spot the main place of power. He was then voted Prime Minister, causing many uprisings. However, many Armenians are hoping that this opposition will get some laws changed so they can live better lives. In the small village of Lusagyugh, the inhabitants grow vegetables and raise cattle for food. Poverty and unemployment are easy to find here. “Several generations of Armenians have been going abroad for a better life,”Samvel Zakaryan, a native of Lusagyugh said. “Now we have finally begun to find confidence that we can build a better life in our country, a new Armenia that people aren’t going to flee.” As we will continue to watch and see what happens, the people of Armenia remain strong and hopeful.
Article Title: Poverty-Stricken Armenians pin hopes on opposition
Article date: May 3, 2018
Link:  https://tinyurl.com/y8v9y2pn

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Award-winning former AP photographer Russell McPhedran dies

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Award-winning former AP photographer Russell McPhedran dies

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Russell McPhedran, who famously took the picture of the terrorists at the 1972 Munich Olympics, has unfortunately passed away of a heart illness at 82. Being inducted into the Australian Media Hall of Fame, he was the longest serving editor of the Sydney Bureau. Micheal Bowers, his friend, stated " Few photographers take a picture powerful enough to enter the permanent consciousness of a nation, let alone become instantly recognizable around the world. Russell McPhedran, or Russ as his mates call him, has a clutch of them." During the track and field events at the Munich Olympics, McPhedran was tipped off that something was happening. After 11 Israelis were taken hostage and eventually killed, his photo appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald. McPhedran was on vacation to celebrate his friend Bigg's 20 years on the run by the Great Robber. McPhedran had underwent the original case where Biggs and his gang stole 2.6 million pounds. They reminisced on Bigg's life of being a runaway. McPhedran often photographed famous people including Frank Sinatra and Bill Clinton. During his Hall of Fame induction, he used his speech to thank the people closest to him and the people who've helped him throughout his life. He was in the middle of making a book, but he died before it could be finished. I liked this article as it introduced me not only to an amazing person, but to an important terrorist event that occurred in Munich. It is truly unfortunate that this man passed away, but he helped photograph the first act of what would become known to be modern terrorism. He helped open many eyes to the modern world and the modern dangers that can occur. Even at events where the world is supposed to come together, there are still those who want to hurt others.
https://tinyurl.com/y8wu3gtd

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Fatal elephant attacks on Rohingya refugees push Bangladesh to act

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Fatal elephant attacks on Rohingya refugees push Bangladesh to act

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Fatal elephant attacks on Rohingya refugees push Bangladesh to act

On May 9, 2018, Bangladesh vowed to increase the intensity of its response to a series of fatal wild elephant attacks on refugee camps. Elephant attacks have been occuring outside Kutupalong, temporary home to 700,000 Rohingya refugees. At least 12 attacks occurred in the 6 months since October 2017. These attacks show the wider story of how deforestation, monsoons, and the refugee crisis have left already vulnerable people at the mercy of wild animals. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (ICUN) begun a program this year in order to raise awareness, preparing 56 watchtowers and 30 elephant response teams to warn residents of nearby elephants. In addition, refugees are being taught how to react to elephants. I think that the entire situation is a tragedy, with deforestation destroying the elephant’s habitats and the refugee crisis allowing these people to be in the path of these elephants, as well as monsoons not allowing the refugees to be anywhere else. However, I can’t really see the refugees able to be anywhere else within the country, so the only solutions I can think of in this scenario is educating refugees as the ICUN is doing or leaving the country to get refuge in another, potentially safer country.

https://tinyurl.com/ycwzfohd

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Ethiopia is Africa’s Fastest-Growing Economy

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Ethiopia is Africa’s Fastest-Growing Economy

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The latest International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecast claims that Ethiopia will be the fastest growing economy in sub-Saharan Africa in 2018, with a 8.5% growth; compared to Côte d’lvoirte, the second-fastest economy in Africa, with a predicted 7.4% growth. This is due to the fact that Ethiopia is building a dam in the Blue Nile, the Grand Renaissance Dam, which will be the largest dam in Africa. Ethiopia is also investing in a light rail system. In addition, foreign countries, especially China, are investing in Ethiopia. Fashion brands are establishing manufacturing centres there due to cheap labor costs and improved transportation. Finally, the Ethiopian government reduced the impact of a recent drought on the economy according to the IMF. I believe it is necessary for Africa to become more comparable to the rest of the world in economic power, so its citizens suffer less under poverty, and the governments can be better prepared to financially support people who need help due to droughts or simple poverty, as well as have more of a voice on the global stage to defend themselves.

https://tinyurl.com/y85te88r

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Bomb blast in Ethiopia kills 3, Oromia region blames Ethio-Somali militia

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Bomb blast in Ethiopia kills 3, Oromia region blames Ethio-Somali militia

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On April 17th, 2018, a grenade exploded near a bus station in Moyale, Ethiopia; killing 3 people and leaving many others wounded. The Ethiopian government has blamed the explosion on anti-peace forces and rent-seeking groups. The people in Moyale, who are part of the Oromo ethnicity being attacked by the government, as well as the Oromia regional state, have blamed this incident on the paramilitary force of a neighboring regional state, Ethio-Somalia, known as the Liyu Police. The cause of the incident remains unknown at this time. I personally found this article to be concerning due to the amount of conflict within Ethiopia over who is responsible over this attack. However, there is no clear evidence from what the article tells saying whether the Ethiopian government or Oromia are correct, although there is a chance that both of them are wrong and it could be a third party, as we don’t know the cause of the incident.

https://tinyurl.com/yc73eaba